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THE 

STRANGER STAR 


BY 

ALLEN GRAFTON 


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NEW YORK 

GEORGE SULLY AND COMPANY 



Copyright, 1923, by 
GEORGE SULLY AND COMPANY 




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i C I 



PRINTED IN U. S. A. 


MAY 10 *23 

©C1A705308 

'U0 I 


Of ^ 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

One : 


Two: 


1 HREE: 


Four: 


Five: 


Six: 


How Two Proud Children Meet 
AN Old Oavl Who Has a New 
Story . 

How Mister Owl Came to Be in 
THE Star Children’s Nursery 
When Swift Comet Ran Away 
WITH THE Nurse Maid 

In Which Paul and Emily Hear 
More about the Moon Palace 
BUT Not as Much as They 
Would Like to Hear 

Introducing a Very Large^ Like¬ 
able Giant with Something 
Very Small and Unusual 
Pinned to His Back 

Why the Once Splendent 
Stranger Star Was Content to 
Do Housework. 

A Happy Debate Which Kept 
Shadow from Running Away to 
the Sun to Rub Off Spots . 


PAGE 

1 


7 


18 


29 


42 


50 


111 



IV 


Contents 


CHAPTER 

Seven: 


Eight: 


Nine: 


Ten: 


Eleven: 


. What Mister Owl Saw from the 
Top of a White Fir Tree in 
THE Moon Garden at Midnight 

In Which the Stranger Refuses 
TO Tell Tales and is Made to 
Stay Indoors for Twelve 
Whole Moons. 

In Which the Angel Messenger 
Brings about Rapid Prepara¬ 
tions IN THE Moon Palace 
When He Delivers the Golden 
Scroll . 

Why No One Among All the Star 
Children Was Found Worthy 
OF THE Great Honor 

How THE Gray Little Stranger 
Star Became the Beautiful 
Star of Love. 


PAGE 

62 


75 


87 


101 


118 



THE STRANGER STAR 


The Time of the- Story: 

NOW—THEN. 

The Place of the Story: 

HERE—awei THERE. 


THE STRANGER STAR 

CHAPTER I 

HOW TWO PROUD CHILDREN MEET AN OLD 
OWL WHO HAS A NEW STORY 

UST on the edge of town 
stood a big, pleasant house, 
almost hidden by a grove of 
fine old oak trees. Its face 
was turned towards the vil¬ 
lage, while at its back stretched grain fields 
and meadows. Paul and Emily lived in the 
big house. Living as they did where the 
town and country met, they considered 
themselves both city fashionables and coun¬ 
try somebodies. 

One twilight Paul and Emily were stroll¬ 
ing down the crooked path which led from 
the back porch to the little spring beyond 
the dairy house. Paul was in a very proud 
and uncharitable state of mind because he 

had seen so many simple country children 

1 










2 How Two Proud Children 

pass dui’ing the day; children with no city 
manners, who rode into town on their rattly 
carts wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Emily 
wore an unusually superior air because she 
had watched the stiffly starched city children 
as they had passed the house on the way for 
a walk in the country and had heard the silly 
things they had said about the fields and 
farm animals. 

“Think of having to ask your mother what 
a cow is!” she exclaimed, remembering the 
question a little girl had asked her mother 
as they passed. 

“I wouldn’t ever play with a boy that 
wears an old straw hat right into the city,” 
said Paul, recalling some one he had seen. 

“I just couldn’t be so simple. I should 
die,” continued Emily, her little nose high in 
the air. “Isn’t it nice that we never say and 
do such stupid things?” 

“We’ve got manners and we know most 
everything,” said Paul, loftily, summing up 
their great good qualities. 

As he said these words he kicked scorn¬ 
fully at a big stone that lay by the path. A 
queer noise was made by the stone; but Paul, 
thinking only of himself, paid no attention. 


Meet an Old Owl 


3 


“He is saying ‘Thank you,’ ” spoke a 
strange, deep voice. 

The children halted quickly. Paul grasped 
Emily’s hand and together they huddled on 
the farther side of the path, very much 
startled. 

“Oh, don’t be frightened,” came the 
strange, deep voice again. “Poor old Mister 
Meteor thanked you for rolling him over. 
He has lain on one side so long.” 

The children risked a step, or rather half 
a step forward, and peered through the dusk 
in the direction of the voice. First they 
made out two large, round eyes behind a 
huge pair of spectacles; then they saw over 
a gray, feathery body, a black gown such as 
scholars wear; and finally they beheld two 
feet in slippers with toes sticking out before 
and behind, so that they might encircle the 
branch upon which the hunched-up figure 
was perched. 

“It’s—it’s old Barny Owl!” whispered 
Paul in wonder to Emily. 

“Quite right about my age,” said the fig¬ 
ure who had heard the whisper, “but like 
most folks you mispronounce my first name. 
If you examine your books you will find the 



4 How Two Proud Children 

correct way of saying it is ‘Brainy’ not 
‘Barny.’ But I mustn’t start giving you ad¬ 
vice on such short acquaintance. You may 
call me Mister B. Owl if you wish. Then 
you will be satisfied, taking it to mean 
Barny; and I will be satisfied, thinking you 
mean Brainy.” 

Paul’s mind was spinning around like a 
whirligig, for he had never before suspected 
that owls can talk. Emily was wondering 
why the owl had spoken to them and what it 
meant. But both were so amazed that they 
stood stock still with their eyes and mouths 
wide open just like the country children. 

“You don’t seem to like my company, for 
you have nothing to say,” continued old 
Mister B. Owl. “So I’ll speak no more and 
be off. And after all there is very little I 
would have to tell to those who seem to know 
everything, as the young gentleman has 
said.” 

He straightened up, making ready to fly. 
“No, please!” cried Emily. “Tell us why 
you spoke to us.” 

“I just said ‘thank you’ for poor old 
JNIister Meteor whom the young man kicked, 


Meet an Old Owl 5 

because you didn’t understand his lan¬ 
guage.” 

“Stones can’t talk. They’re no good,” 
said Paul, cocksure of what he knew. 

“Oh, can’t they?” asked Mister B. Owl. 
“There is something for you to learn, my 
young ones. And again, what you kicked 
was not a stone but a meteor. There is 
something else for you to learn.” 

Emily’s eyes were looking down at the 
path. Paul began to grow uneasy too. But 
at the next words from Mister Owl, both 
children forgot their guilty feelings and 
pricked up their ears in eager expectation; 
for if there was one thing which they dearly 
loved, it was a story. 

“Why, once upon a time,” he began, 
“this old Mister Meteor who is lying so quiet 
at your feet was a fiery young fellow, living 
an exciting life away up in the sky. But one 

day he left home and then-” Mister Owl 

looked up at the blue sky. When he spoke 
again, he had forgotten the children and his 
voice was soft and full of happy recollec¬ 
tions. “Ah, though it happened so long ago, 
I can see all that followed as clearly as if it 
had happened only yesterday: the bright. 



6 IIow Two Proud Children 

white Garden of the Moon, the quarrelsome 
Star Children, the gray little Stranger, the 
black Giant, the wonderful visit of the 

Angel, the whole beautiful story-” But 

here he stopped suddenly, and said in a com¬ 
monplace voice, “Pardon me for letting my 
tongue run on wheels in this way. You 
w^ouldn’t believe the queer story if I told 
you; for you know most everything. I am 
sure you are tired of hearing me talk.” 

“I don’t know most everything. Neither 
does Paul,” cried Emily. She feared lest 
Mister Owl should not tell of the strange 
places and people he had mentioned. 

“Ah,” said Mister Owl, raising his eye¬ 
brows, “let’s see if you remember those 
words when the children pass tomorrow. As 
for Paul-” 

Paul was nowhere to be seen! By crook¬ 
ing his neck and searching with his sharp 
night eyes. Mister Owl was able to discover 
him turning over a stone! He turned over 
another and yet another! 

“There are some large stones in the road, 
which the carts jolt over,” he said to the boy. 
Then without another single word he spread 
his wings and flew off into the darkness. 




CHAPTER II 


HOW MISTER OWL CAME TO BE IN THE STAR 
CHILDREN'S NURSERY WHEN SWIFT COMET 
RAN AWAY WITH THE NURSE MAID 

HE next day was at least a 
week longer than most days; 
and not for a minute did the 
eagerness for the story which 
Mister Owl had hinted at 
leave Paul’s or Emily’s mind. 
Before the sun had set, they were walking 
up and down the path trying to appear un¬ 
concerned, but really more excited than they 
had ever been in their lives. They had no 
promise of the story, not even a hint that 
JNIister Owl would come again; but they had 
worked so hard and wished so earnestly and 
hoped so much that they didn’t see how he 
could disappoint them. 

The minutes passed and it grew cool and 
dusky. They stayed as long as their hope 
would let them, and just as they were giving 
way sadly to despair, a flapping of wings 


















8 


How Mr, Owl Came to 


was heard and Mister Owl sat on the branch 
above them! He looked at them for some 
seconds and took on a pleased expression; 
he even seemed to smile, though, of course, 
owls can’t do that. 

“Good evening,” he said, friendly-like. 

“Good evening,” they replied politely. 

“I notice there isn’t a large stone left in 
the roadway between the gate and the or¬ 
chard,” remarked Mister Owl. 

“No, sir,” Paul spoke up quickly. 

“Did you have a pleasant chat with the 
little girl from the city?” asked Mister Owl 
turning to Emily. 

“Yes, sir,” was the reply. Emily hesitated 
and then admitted slowly, “She told me that 
they have ice at her house that didn’t come 
from our river or any river. It’s—it’s 
made!” 

“Ah,” said Mister Owl approvingly. “So 
far so good. And now if you will make 
yourselves comfortable on that log pillow 
we will visit a very strange country and be¬ 
gin the strange story of what happened 
there.” 

Hastily and breathlessly the children 
settled themselves on the log. Mister Owl 


9 


The Star Childreifs Nursery 

cleared his throat, hunched himself up 
snugly and began: 

What I am about to tell you is the story 
of a little Stranger Star, and of the wonder¬ 
ful thing that happened to her. But you 
must not grow impatient if I don’t come to 
her part in the story right away; for I must 
begin at the beginning. 

A great many dreams ago, I was per¬ 
suaded by the Moon Mother to go to the far¬ 
away country of the Moon and teach the 
many Star children their two-times-twos. 
You see, my life-long work had been that of 
teacher; more exactly, I may say, arithmetic 
teacher. The Moon Mother heard of my 
great reputation and wanted me so badly 
that she dropped down for a moment to the 
tree top where I was living and urged me to 
come. Well, I consented, and packing my 
books and spectacles and some choice baked 
grasshoppers, I started on the long journey 
which brought me to the Moon Palace and 
its beautiful garden. There I set about my 
task (which was none too pleasant) of teach¬ 
ing the many Star children their multiplica¬ 
tion tables. 


10 How Mr, Owl Came to 

It was a quiet life for me, and lonely too, 
for I had no friends with whom I could talk 
and debate. But I had quite a bit of free¬ 
dom and went here and there whenever I 
liked. I soon took to spending my idle 
hours in a corner of the nursery, which was 
located in the northwest part of the Moon 
Palace. 

The nurse maid, a rather pretty little 
thing, was being courted by Swift Comet, 
who loved her with all his fiery heart. The 
Maid had to take care of the children and 
make their many beds. The beds were in 
the nursery. And here was the place where 
the lovemaking went on. Of course, I just 
happened to choose the nursery, but I saw 
no harm in staying on when Swift Comet 
took to making it their meeting place. I felt 
that I had as much right there as he had, 
surely. 

One morning very early I was nodding 
away, gazing sleepily at the long, crooked 
room. What a queer place it was! It was 
all crooks and corners and was beautifully 
colored. Around the walls ran a border on 
which were painted planets and comets and 
rainbows, each with a face and funny arms 


11 


The Star Children's Nursery 

4 

and twisted legs, as though it were the pic¬ 
ture of a living thing. It reminded me of 
the Mother Goose borders that I had seen 
on the earth. 

The Maid was in the nursery, busily 
making the many beds. She had just 
finished smoothing the covers on the four 
thousand seven hundred and seventy-sev¬ 
enth bed, when suddenly a streak of crimson 
light flashed through the cloud curtain which 
was drawn before the great window; and at 
the same time a loud whizzing noise was 
heard. The light and noise lasted but a 
second and were gone. 

I suspected the cause of them. So did the 
little Maid. She jumped back with a start 
and then stood quite still except for her fast¬ 
beating heart. After a minute she called to¬ 
gether all her courage, and tip-toeing to the 
window, drew back the cloud curtain and 
peeped out into the blue velvet sky. She 
took a very small look before she dropped 
the curtain back in place, and stood half 
smiling and a little frightened. I knew 
that she was frightened because she rolled 
her apron’s edge between her fingers. Well, 
there she stood until a head popped through 


12 How Mr, Owl Came to 

the curtain and a voice called softly, “Sweet¬ 
heart!” Without waiting for a reply the 
head and the body to which it was fastened 
leaped into the room. 

He was a handsome fellow and no mis¬ 
take. He was dressed in bright flames that 
shot and sputtered all around him as he 
jumped about, for he was never still. He 
wore great gloves such as chauffeurs wear, 
and he pushed a pair of goggles up on his 
forehead when he came in. He was young 
and had a dashing, reckless air about him. 
I really couldn’t blame the Maid for allow¬ 
ing him to call in this way. 

“Well, here I am,” he said quite decidedly. 
“Are you ready?” 

The poor Maid couldn’t reply; she only 
stood and rolled the edge of her apron. 

“I say, sweetheart,” he whispered excit¬ 
edly, coming close to her, “are you ready to 
fly away with me? Here stands Swift 
Comet offering you his heart and hand and 
the fastest car that ever startled these staid 
old planets.” 

“I’m—afraid,” was all the Maid could 
reply; and there was a tremble in her voice. 

“Nonsense,” laughed her lover. “The 


13 


The Star Children's Nursery 

IMoon JMother is still busy lighting up the 
universe. The stars are all out. There’s no 
danger. And my car is tied to a moonbeam 
just around the corner a hundred miles or 
so.” 

Dear, dear, how could she resist such gal¬ 
lant words and such gallant eyes. Still she 
didn’t dare make up her mind and said 
thoughtfully, “The Moon JMother has al¬ 
ways been a good mistress to me.” 

“Now,” said her lover, “haven’t you told 
me over and over-” 

“Except that I have to work so hard,” 
admitted the Maid quickly. 

“Aha! You have to work so hard!” Swift 
Comet began to argue like a lawyer. 
“Every night you must make the beds for 
these ungrateful, quarrelling little Stars; 
and you must patch and shine up their 
clothes; and you must dust this silvery old 
Moon Palace. And what’s your reward? 
You never get to go anywhere and you are 
always too busy to see any one. That’s 
what’s what, isn’t it?” 

“Yes,—that’s what’s what,” agreed the 
Maid unwillingly. 

“Well, then,” he continued rapidly, “here 




14 


How Mr. Owl Came to 


I stand waiting to remove you from it all. 
And that’s what’s what, too.” 

Still her heart hesitated. Then the lover 
used his last and choicest enchantment. The 
night before he had remembered that all true 
lovers write songs to their loves, so he had 
written one on a piece of cloud-covering 
w’hich had caught on his car. This he now 
took out of one of his gloves. He bade the 
Maid be seated. He struck a fetching at¬ 
titude before her and proceeded to sing in 
a sputtering voice what he had named, 
“Swift Comet’s Ballad to His True Love.” 
You will pardon me if I do not attempt to 
sing it, but give only the words. Here they 
are: 

“Oh, come for a honeymoon, my Love, 

Of a million thousand days. 

We’ll leap and whiz up the Sky’s wide slopes 
While the eyes of a thousand telescopes 
Will envy our forward ways. 

“We’ll skim the Milky Way, my Love, 

And frighten the Nebulae. 

We’ll outrun Time and his light-legged 
Years, 

And reach the last lone lands of the Spheres 
For rent on the edge of the Sky. 


15 


The Star Chitch 'eii's Nursery 

“And there, when our honeymoon is o’er , 
Our fiery car we’ll tether 
By some nice castle that w.e have found 
On a quiet Planet and settle down 
And just grow cold together.” 

He folded the song slowly and turned his 
eyes towards the Maid. She was looking 
down at her little foot which was making 

O 

circles on the floor. But she was smilini?. 
Swift Comet, unable to wait longer, took her 
chin in his big hand and raised her eyes to 
his. 

“Come,” he entreated. “Come, sweet¬ 
heart, and give us the word.” 

The day was won! “I’ll go,” she 
whispered and her black and white dress was 
encircled by his two flashing arms. 

“You make me the happiest comet that 
ever sputtered,” he cried when he found his 
voice again. Then he laughed and hopped 
about, dancing the Maid round and round. 
At length he grew sensible and business-like. 

“I’ll trot along and get the old car all 
lighted up,” he said. “Hurry before the 
moonbeams grow too pale to hold you.” 

He jumped to the window. There he 
turned for one last word. “Think of it!” he 


10 How Mr, Owl Came to 

exclaimed. “In place of this cold old Moon 
we’ll have a honeymoon at the rate of a mil¬ 
lion miles a minute! Farewell for a couple 
of moonwinks.” 

He was gone and I could hear him 
popping away towards his car. The Maid, 
left alone, tied up a few of her belongings in 
a piece of stout cloud, slipped into a riding 
cloak of sky-blue and turned to the window. 
Now I forgot to say that in one of the cen¬ 
tres of the room there hung a little moon to 
light the nursery. When the Maid turned 
around to give the room a good-bye look, her 
eyes caught sight of the little moon. She 
walked over, stood upon a chair and pinched 
off a tiny bit for a keepsake; or maybe it 
was to light up the castle which her lover 
had promised her. After tucking it away 
she climbed onto the window sill, stepped 
cautiously out upon a moonbeam and fol¬ 
lowed her fiery lover. 

“And now,” said Mister B. Owl, looking 
at his silver watch, “I’ve spent the whole 
evening and haven’t gotten to the main part 
of the story at all. You see, the real story 
is what happened in the Moon Palace be- 


The Star Children's Nursery 17 

cause the Star children had no nurse maid 
to care for them.” 

ISIister Owl stretched himself as though 
making ready to depart. 

“You are not through?” asked Emily 
eagerly. 

“It’s too late for any more tonight,” he 
said and flew away over the oak trees. 


CHAPTER III 


IN WHICH PAUL AND EMILY HEAR MORE 
ABOUT THE MOON PALACE^ BUT NOT SO 
MUCH AS THEY WOULD LIKE 
TO HEAR 

HE day after hearing the 
story of Swift Comet and the 
runaway maid, Paul and 
Emily did not bother much 
about turning over stones or 
speaking to children who passed by; they 
spent the time talking about the story. 
They could hardly wait until evening came; 
and as early as sunset they were sitting on 
the log, eagerly waiting. 

When Mr. Owl arrived he asked of Paul, 
“How many stones did you turn today?” 
“It was too hot today,” was the reply. 
“What have you learned since yester¬ 
day?” he inquired of Emily. 

“I didn’t talk with any one,” she returned. 
The good-humored expression disap¬ 
peared from Mr. Owl’s face. He sat for 

some time blinking and not saying a word. 

18 















About the Moon Palace 19 

The children began to feel uncomfortable. 

“Please, Mr. Owl,” asked Emily timidly, 
“won’t you tell us some more of the story?” 

There was another minute or two of 
silence. Then Mr. Owl mumbled to himself, 
“I suppose I expect too much of them so 
soon.” After which he ruffled his feathers, 
cleared his throat and went on with the 
story: 

When the Maid left it was nearly day¬ 
light. Before long the velvet blue sky cur¬ 
tains were rolled up and the light blue day¬ 
time curtains were let down. This was the 
hour when the JNIoon JMother turned out her 
lanterns in the Palace tower and went to the 
nursery. 

“Nurse! Nurse!” I could hear her call as 
she came through the doorway. Naturally 
there was no answer. She began to wonder 
and worry when she saw the unmade beds 
and the open window. 

As she stood wondering, an odd-looking 
fellow shuffled into the room. He looked 
very old—older than Father Adam would 
look if he were alive today. He was homely 
and stooped and dressed in a grotesque liv- 


20 


Paul and Emily Hear More 

ery of gray, with tails to his coat, gray stock¬ 
ings over his shriveled legs, and pointed gray 
shoes on his long feet. Even his face was 
the same dusty gray color. 

Years before some learned sky-gazers had 
discovered the old fellow near the Sun, and 
had later found him making a small, grayish 
spot on the silver surface of the Moon. So 
they had rested their foreheads on their 
fingers, nodded their heads wisely, and de¬ 
clared him to be a Cenereous Nebulosity. 
But no one on the Moon ever thought of his 
being as important as such a name suggests. 
Here his dingy color gave him the much 
simpler and more pronounceable name of 
Shadow. 

“If you please. Madam Moon Mother,” 
he called in a hollow voice to the tall, white 
figure, “if—if you please-” 

“Can’t you speak. Shadow,” asked the 
Moon Mother growing impatient, “without 
sputtering like a comet’s tail?” 

“That’s it,” said the old servant bowing 
low. It was absurd the way he was always 
bowing and scraping. “A comet is what I 
am speaking of. Nurse has run away with 
one!” 



About the Moon Palace 


21 


“Nurse—has run—away?” she repeated, 
dumbfounded. 

Shadow insisted and the Moon Mother 
grew angry, for she couldn’t believe him. 

“I tell you I saw her skipping away on a 
moonbeam,” he declared excitedly, “and 
before I could blink for a good look they 
were in his car and off they went. I tell you 
it’s true. Take a squint northward your¬ 
self, ma’am.” 

When the Moon Mother followed 
Shadow’s advice she was convinced with her 
own eyes. She grew more and more angry 
as she recognized the red streak and the two 
figures. 

“It’s Swift Comet!” she declared. “The 
fastest of all his fast set. Oh, what is the 
Moon coming to when one’s servant runs 
away with such a rogue? And just when I 
needed her for spring house-cleaning! Just 
when I must shine like a silver bubble and 
when my children’s spring clothes must be 
made. Just at such a time she runs away. 
Oh, dear!” 

Shadow sought to cheer the Moon Mother 
with a story which he told with great enjoy¬ 
ment to himself. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, “I 


22 


Paul and Emily Hear More 

am reminded of the time when I used to be 
rubbing the spots off the Sun, before I came 
here. ‘Twas in July when heat was most 
needed. And ten of the Sun-King’s best 
firemen went on a strike. Ten of them! 
Well, you can see what a disaster that was 
for the master. But what could he do? The 
only thing left to do, ma’am, grow cold until 
everyone grumbled and shivered and nearly 
froze. Then the poor firemen, almost dead 
with cold, came creeping back, glad to get 
their old positions at reduced salaries. Ha! 
Ha!” 

No one but a wooden spoon would have 
laughed just then, knowing the feelings of 
the Moon Mother; I should have known 
much better than to have told such an un¬ 
called-for story at this time. When I caught 
sight of the Moon Mother’s face I turned 
pale for the old man. 

“Nurse’s leaving will mean more work for 
you, that is all,” she said sharply. 

‘T don’t think that I quite understand, 
ma’am,” said Shadow. 

“You will have to do her work,” informed 
his mistress. 

“Asking your pardon, ma’am,” pro- 


About the 3Ioon Palace 23 

tested the old man mildly, “but I do all that 
I have time to do.” 

“I will find time for you,” was the short 
reply. 

Shadow protested vigorously, “Why I 
never made a bed or sewed a stitch in all my 
many lives!” 

“Begin learning now,” said the Moon 
IMother, pointing to the unmade beds. 

When she spoke like this. Shadow knew a 
hawk from a handsaw, all right. He bowed 
and smiled and said meekly, “Yes, ma’am. 
Very well, ma’am,” and shuffled over to an 
unmade bed. He had to consider carefully 
which went where, and his hands trembled 
for the Moon Mother’s eye was upon him. 

I hate anything like a quarrel, so I flew 
out into the garden where the air was better. 
The Star children, who had seen their 
mother’s lanterns go out, were coming home. 
From the widest and farthest corners of the 
sky they came; and what a sparkling variety 
of colors and shapes their clothes made 1 
The first one home was the Evening Star, 
who came from the west in her dress of 
twilight colors. Then from the far north 
came the Pole Star, a cold, slender little fel- 


24 Paul and Emily Hear More 

low, reminding one of a lively iciele. From 
somewhere else the Dog Star arrived, as 
boisterous as the animal for which he was 
named. The Brilliant Star came from a 
place near by, her flashing and gorgeous 
dress bright enough to blind all of the owl 
family at one look. Following her was the 
Steadfast Star with her cool, unwavering 
light. Then from the northwest the Seven 
Dipper Stars, with their water-jug hats, 
scrambled home. They were an odd lot. 
Though they had seven bodies, they had 
but two voices, one coming from the Handle 
and one coming from the Bowl. They al¬ 
ways held hands, and when they were still, 
formed the shape of the Big Dipper. So,— 
I watched the many Star children come 
home; great ones and small ones, twinkling 
ones and dazzling ones. And the last of all 
to come was the Morning Star in her pale 
and beautiful dress. 

They ran through the long winding hall 
that led past the Throne Room to the 
nursery. Along the walls of the hall were 
hung the many beautiful pictures which 
great artists have painted of the Moon; and 


About the Moon Palace 25 

also the many clever verses which great 
poets have written about it. 

When they had gone in, I went in to, for 
it was near their lesson time. Oh, how I 
hated to go in! For they were a selfish and 
ill-behaved lot, all of them. By the time 
they reached the nursery they were quarrel¬ 
ing and shrieking and behaving in a manner 
entirely unbecoming to their beautiful 
clothes. 

The Pole Star trotted over to his mother, 
shouting, “Oh, mother, something exciting 
almost happened!” 

“Ho! Ho!” laughed the Dog Star, dis¬ 
covering the old servant. “Look at 
Shadow!” 

“Do not interrupt when your brother is 
speaking,” reproved the Moon Mother. 

“I saw someone hurrying towards me,” 
continued the Pole Star breathlessly, “and 
she kept looking back as though she were 
running away.” 

The Dog Star had heard and forgotten 
his mother’s reproof at the same instant. 
He called the other Star children to look at 
Shadow, and they burst into a roar. 

“Will you keep still?” shouted the Pole 


2G Paul and Emily Hear More 

Star to his brother. “I’ll come over there 
and freeze you.” 

“Come on if you want me to bite you,” 
growled the Dog Star. 

“Who’s afraid of a Dog Star?” boasted 
the Pole Star. 

“Who’s afraid of a Pole Star?” sneered 
the Dog Star. 

My feathers began to stand on end at the 
thought of the approaching battle. And the 
Moon Mother had to use threats quite un¬ 
befitting to her dignity as Queen of the 
Night, before she quieted the quarrelling 
children. But finally their angry words be¬ 
came nothing more than mumblings, and 
they grew quiet, or more truly, somewhat 
quiet. 

“Why can’t you obey your mother?” said 
the Pole Star who wanted to have the last 
word. 

“Oh, go on with your story,” grumbled 
the Dog Star sullenly, so he really had the 
last word himself. 

Once more the Pole Star continued his 
adventure. “Well, she was running towards 
me and I grew colder and colder and tried 
to freeze her. I was doing it too, when some 


About the 3Ioon Palace 27 

« 

old comet lifted her into his car and away 
they went like lightning.” 

For a moment the Stars were interested 
in the story; but after thinking about it they 
decided that the Pole Star had been dream¬ 
ing and they laughed at him. 

“No, he was not dreaming,” announced 
the mother. “It was Nurse.” 

To the Star children, living without a 
nurse was as terrible a thing as a duck with¬ 
out a bill, or a day without a supper, or feet 
without legs. They looked at one another 
wdth mouths wide open. After a while they 
remembered and closed their mouths; then 
words came, and they began asking tearful 
questions all at once. 

“Who will take care of us now?” asked 
the helpless Morning Star. 

“Who will dress and wash us?” moaned 
the Steadfast Star. 

“Who will make my new dress of sunset 
colors?” sobbed the Evening Star. 

The mother couldn’t answer; therefore 
the questions were unanswerable. It was a 
terrible calamity. Arithmetic lessons, break¬ 
fast, everything was forgotten. The entire 


28 


Paul and Emily Hear More 

family began to weep loudly as though its 
combined hearts would break. 

“And that,” said Mr. Owl in closing, “is 
the great troublesome question which upset 
the Moon Palace when the Nurse Maid ran 

f 

away.” 

“Is it over?” asked Emily in disappoint¬ 
ment. 

“It hasn’t any end,” declared Paul. 
“Don’t stop,” pled his sister. 

“I’m convinced that I gave you so many 
nice things to remember last night that you 
have forgotten some more important 
things.” 

And this was the very last word Mr. Owl 
would say. 


CHAPTER IV 


INTRODUCING A VERY LARGE^ LIKEABLE GIANT 
WITH SOMETHING VERY SMALL AND 
UNUSUAL PINNED TO HIS BACK 

AUL and Emily were not 
kindly disposed towards Mr. 
Owl after he had stopped ab¬ 
ruptly in the middle of his 
story. The next morning, 
without telling one another why, they made 
themselves useful about the yard. Their 
mother was quite amazed at their sudden in¬ 
dustry. Towards nightfall their feelings 
against Mr. B. Owl returned, but they 
crept down the path to the log where they 
sat and waited as usual. 

Mr. Owl arrived on schedule time. 
“Good evening,” he said. 

They nodded a stiff greeting without 
opening their mouths. 

“I hope you have had a pleasant day,” 
he said further, with a twinkle in his eyes. 

They were mute as two mackerels. With- 

29 














30 


Introducing a Very 

out sticking his beak farther into what they 
gave him to understand was their own af¬ 
fair, Mr. Owl, quite satisfied with his in¬ 
vestigation, went on with the story: 

After the Stars had cried themselves tired 
over their misfortune, the Dog Star sug¬ 
gested that they make Shadow their nurse. 
This remark changed their tears to laughter 
as they pictured the old man stitching 
dresses and frilling bonnets. 

Old Shadow had paid but little attention 
to their taunts and giggling; but this new 
outburst was more than he could bear. He 
threw down a pillow with a thump and 
walked straight up to the Moon Mother. 

“Madam Moon IMother,” he said hotly, 
“I polish lamps and open doors and do all 
the work that it is befitting a gentleman ser¬ 
vant to do, without a grumble. But I’ve a 
sense of pride inside me which you don’t sus¬ 
pect. Remember when I left the Sun-King 
he says to me, ‘Shadow, if you ever want to 
rub my spots again-’ ” 

“You wouldn’t leave me,” begged the 
Moon Mother, growing fearful. 

“Well,” replied the old man relentlessly. 



31 


Large, Likeable Giant 

’‘when you suggests that I turn nurse maid 
I forgets my pride; but when I becomes a 
jack pudding for your children to laugh at, 
my pride swells up into haughtiness and I’m 
forced to quit.” 

This being all he had to say, he turned and 
with head held high, walked out of the room 
amid the deepest of silence. 

Nurse had run away and Shadow had 
given notice! I crept far out of sight for 
fear that they would see me and make me 
into a nurse maid. The aristrocratic family 
was in despair for they could think of no 
maid in all the Moon country. 

Very soberly and very unwillingly the 
Moon Mother announced, “The only solu¬ 
tion, my dears, is that some of you must stay 
at home and help me.” 

You should have heard the great out¬ 
burst of “ohs” and “nos.” 

“I can’t, mother,” protested the Evening 
Star. “This season of all seasons I am ex¬ 
pected to shine.” 

“What,” asked the Morning Star, “would 
the earth people think if there was no Morn¬ 
ing Star?” 


32 


Introducing a Very 

“We can’t disappoint them,” added the 
Pole Star with importance. 

“I’ve got to shine to water the Clouds,” 
argued the Dipper. 

“What would our neighbor Solar Sys¬ 
tems think,” asked the Dog Star, “if we 
stayed at home and did housework?” 

Again there was a spell of silence. Then 
the troubled Moon Mother spoke. “You 
are right, my children,” she said sadly; “I 
must think of our social position and of our 
neighbors. And—I just couldn’t bear to 
see my children doing housework. Oh, dear, 
I don’t know what to do!” 

I was not in a humor to tell you last night 
how the Stars stay up in the sky. They 
haven’t a pair of reliable wings such as I 
have, so some other means has to be pro¬ 
vided. What this means is you shall soon 
see. Just at the tragic moment when every¬ 
body was ready to cry again, a deep voice 
from the garden roared, “Ho hum, but I’m 
glad that this night is over.” Thump, 
thump, came a heavy step down the hall and 
a huge, awe-inspiring figure, who had to 
double up to get through the doorway, stood 
in the room. He was very tall and was 



33 


Large, Likeable Giant 

dressed in black and had black whiskers and 
a black cap. On each black-gloved hand 
were dozens and hundreds of long fingers. 
For all his foreboding looks he was a like¬ 
able kind of giant. 

“Such children!” he mumbled in his deep, 
good-natured voice. “I’ve been holding 
these Stars so they can shine for the last tril¬ 
lion of years or so, but I never felt them so 
squirmy as they were last night. They 
grow worse all the time. Why, two hun¬ 
dred and fifty-three of my fingers are worn 
to the bones. 

“And that wasn’t my only trouble,” he 
went on after displaying his injured fingers. 
“I was standing quietly, my out-stretched 
hands full of Stars, dreaming lucious 
dreams of the green cheese for which your 
Moon is famous, mother,”—here he bowed 
low to the Moon Mother,—“when suddenly, 
bump! something struck me in the side. I 
reached down with two empty fingers, en¬ 
dangering the balance of a handful of Stars, 
and caught hold of what had bumped into 
me. I found a curious little mite, ragged 
and dirty and without a speck of polish on 
her. She was crying, so I took pity on her. 


34 


Introducing a Very 

Instead of spanking her I promised her a 
piece of the green cheese of which I had been 
dreaming and brought her home with me.” 

“Where is she?” cried the Stars in ex¬ 
citement. 

“Pinned to my back,” explained the 
Giant, “safe and sound, and out of harm’s 
way and my own.” 

He was right; for there she was, pinned to 
his black coat with a small needle of light¬ 
ning. She was very like he had described 
her, with her frowsy hair, and her gray, torn 
dress. 

“Thank you,” she said politely when two 
of the larger Stars had helped her down. 

“And now, JMoon Mother,” said the 
Giant, “while you are all getting acquainted. 
I’ll go in search of the bite of cheese I 
promised her.” 

(Mister Owl stopped and drew out a 
large handkerchief which had been given 
him by his friend Mr. Silk Worm, a rich 
merchant of Japan. “You will pardon me,” 
he said to Paul and Emily, “if I have this 
ready. This part of the story always affects 
me deeply.” Holding his handkerchief in 
readiness he continued:) 


35 


Large, Likeable Giant 

The Giant thumped out, leaving the 
Stranger in the middle of a circle of staring, 
unfriendly eyes. Although a little fright¬ 
ened she tried to smile and pretended not to 
hear the whispers all about her,—“Isn’t she 
funny? Isn’t she ragged? Isn’t she dirty? 
Where did she come from? Some beggar. 
I’ll bet.” 

“Children!” reproved the Mother. “How 
have I taught you to receive strangers?” 

“Oh, I guess I do look funny,” said the 
Stranger simply and honestly. “So I 
oughtn’t to mind what you say.” 

“She admits what she is!” cried the Dog 
Star. “We oughtn’t to give her the cheese.” 

“Wait,” warned the Mother. “We have 
no right to judge her until we have heard 
her story.” 

The Stars were anxious to hear what she 
had to say about herself, and the Mother 
insisted kindly that the Stranger tell how 
she happened to bump into the Giant. 

“No one would like to hear about me,” 
replied the Stranger softly. 

“How can we know if you don’t tell us?” 
persisted the Mother. “Come, dear.” 



36 Introducing a Very 

“Yes, and tell us the truth,” added the 
Dog Star. 

“I always tell the truth,” the Stranger 
replied; “I was taught there wasn’t any¬ 
thing else.” 

She looked up as she said this; and some¬ 
way nobody felt like saying anything for 
several minutes afterwards. When they 
were all seated on the beds and on the floor, 
the little Stranger, kneeling at the Moon 
Mother’s feet, began her history. 

“I can’t remember everything about my¬ 
self,” she said, “but I do remember that a 
long, long way from here,—so far that you 
have to pass through many countries with 
capitals like your Sun,—there is my coun¬ 
try in our own Solar System. And there I 
was a Star-” 

“You a Star?” cried the children, amused 
at the thought of this ragged little creature 
being such a thing. 

“I know it must seem odd,” she replied, 
pretending not to mind being laughed at, 
“but there I was a Star like you, with pretty 
clothes and a pretty home-” 

“Your home wasn’t as nice as ours,” in¬ 
terrupted the Evening Star arrogantly. 




37 


Large, Likeable Giant 

The Stranger glanced around the big, 
comfortable room and said unselfishly, “You 
have a beautiful home. . . . Well, there I 
lived with my mother as you live.” 

“Your mother wasn’t as good as ours,” 
interrupted the Steadfast Star boastfully. 

“You have a lovely mother,” replied the 
Stranger, looking up at the Moon Mother in 
admiration. “Well, every night my mother 
let me put on pretty clothes and be a 
glimmer of light in the sky. One night I 
saw a poor, disabled Meteor who was lost 
and who couldn’t walk well; he began to 
sink down, down, down towards the Great 
Bear.” 

(Emily nudged Paul and whispered, 
“Now I know! I know! He was the stone 
you kicked.” Mister Owl paused long 
enough to tell Emily that he was happy that 
she had guessed so well; then he went on;) 

The Dog Star sneered at the Stranger, 
saying “Meteors are nothing but tramps.” 

“I didn’t think of that,” said the little 
Star. “I thought that maybe I could help 
him, so I ran after him as fast as I could. 
I didn’t think of how far I was going until 
all at once I found myself in a strange coun- 


38 


Introducing a Very 

try. I was being carried farther and farther. 
I cried but no one heard me. All I could 
do was go on and on. The beautiful color 
left my clothes and I felt hungry and lone¬ 
some. At last I had to give up hope of find¬ 
ing my way home and had to just go on and 
on until-” 

The Stranger ceased talking. “Until 
what?” asked the Moon Mother. 

“Well, until now.” 

“Did you help the Meteor any?” asked 
the Evening Star. 

“ISTo. He fell before I reached him,” 
said the Stranger. 

“Didn’t your mother warn you about go¬ 
ing so far?” questioned the Steadfast Star 
as though she had never disobeyed in her 
life. 

“Yes, but when I saw the poor Me¬ 
teor-” 

“It serves you right. You disobeyed. 
You’re being punished. You ought to wear 
ragged clothes,” cried everybody, interrupt¬ 
ing everybody else. 

The poor little Stranger, homesick and 
hungry and shunned by the snobbish Star 
children, wanted to cry. She couldn’t keep 




30 


Large, Likeable Giant 

back one tear. But she brushed it out of 
sight quickly and tried to be brave. ‘‘I 
know it,” she answered; and a little smile 
got as far as one corner of her mouth, then 
went back again. 

“What do you intend to do now?” asked 
the Moon Mother, hinting as if she had some 
plan. 

“I’ll have to go on and on—unless-” 

Again the Stranger stopped. 

“She means unless we let her stay here,” 
the Evening Star whispered. 

“I was thinking of that,” smiled the Moon 
IMother. 

“Of me here?” asked the Stranger as her 
face began to brighten. 

“Perhaps,” was the reply. 

“Oh, and I can wear pretty clothes and 
shine and help make the night beautiful?” 

“Not quite that,” said the Moon Mother. 

“I’m not very shiny, am I?” admitted 
the Stranger, looking at her gray, torn 
dress. “But you. Brilliant Star, you have 
so much light you could give me a little.” 

“This light’s mine,” snapped the Brilliant 
Star selfishly. 

“You can’t shine with us,” declared sev- 



40 Introducing a Very 

eral Stars, angry at the Stranger for think¬ 
ing that she could get such an honor for 
herself. 

“No,” said the Moon Mother, “you shall 
be our little nurse maid. It won’t be at all 
bad, dear. It will be a nice home for you, 
and surely that is better than wandering on 
and on.” 

A nurse maid! The little Stranger 
walked away so that they couldn’t see the 
tears which she knew were coming. Alone 
in a far corner she thought of her own beau¬ 
tiful home and her lovely mother and the 
nights when she looked through the blue 
night curtains,—a twinkling Star. But the 
Stars did not see her face nor hear her 
thought; for their mother told them to go 
out into the garden and have their play hour 
before lesson time. 

When they had all scampered out, the 
Moon Mother went again to the Stranger 
and said kindly, “You will soon get used to 
our ways, dear. I am sure you will do well 
if you decide to stay with us. Please have 
the beds ready when we return.” 

Then she went into the garden to look at 



41 


Large, Likeable Giant 

her flowers, leaving the lonely little Stranger 
among the many beds. 

“And that,” said Mister Owl, making use 
of his silk handkerchief, “is the very last sad 
word I can speak tonight; I might as well 
confess it; my whole family esteem me very 
slightly for it, but—my sympathy for the 
lonesome always puts me in a very melting 
mood.” 


t 


CHAPTER V 

WHY THE ONCE SPLENDENT STRANGER STAR 
WAS CONTENT TO DO HOUSEWORK 

S Paul and Emily were get¬ 
ting ready for bed they kept 
thinking about the coming of 
the Stranger Star. Thoughts 
of turning stones and of 
learning new things from city children were 
quite forgotten; new and more fascinating 
thoughts took their places. 

“If a fairy star came to our house I 
wouldn’t treat her so rudely,” declared 
Emily. 

“If an orphan boy with no home came 
here I’d give him my second suit and give 
him my top and let him play with my me¬ 
chanical toy and everything,” was Paul’s 
noble vow. 

The children fell asleep thinking of some 
big—some very big good—deed, and in their 
slumbers they dreamed of helping dozens of 
fairy stars and orphan strangers. 

42 













Star Was Content 


43 


When morning came they could keep their 
minds on nothing else. Paul went over all 
his clothes and selected those he could spare; 
and he unselfishly decided to give his cher¬ 
ished mechanical toy to the orphan,—should 
he come. As for Emily, she sat with her 
chin in her hand, dreaming of all that she 
could show the fairy star,—should she come. 
There was the oriole’s nest and her dolls 
and the spring and her Christmas books and 
the dairy house; in the dairy house she would 
give her a dipper of cool, fresh milk. 

When the story hour came and they sat 
waiting, neither stopped planning for the 
dream visitors. Mister Owl had been 
perched on his branch for more than a min¬ 
ute before they noticed him. He was do¬ 
ing his best at smiling; and though they did 
not know his reason for doing so, they 
smiled back because,—oh, because they felt 
like it. 

“Mr. Owl,” apologized Paul, as a dread¬ 
ful thought came into his mind, “I didn’t 
turn any stones because—because ” 

“I quite understand,” .nodded Mister 
Owl approvingly. 

And dismissing the thought with a short 




44 


Why the Stranger 

chat on what fine owl-weather it was, Mis¬ 
ter Owl soon reached the subject of his 
story: 

Let’s see, when I left off the little 
Stranger was alone among the beds. I 
knew I should go after my books, but I also 
knew there had been so much excitement 
that not a Star would have his lessons pre¬ 
pared, so I didn’t bother. Instead I stayed 
high up in the nursery thinking of the lonely 
little Star below me. 

It was a hard task for a little girl who 
had been used to a kind mother and a beau¬ 
tiful home suddenly to become a nurse maid. 
To make it harder this was a strange place 
where she didn’t know a soul. And to make 
it hardest of all, the Star children were 
downrightly ungrateful and unkind. She 
tried to brave it out and walked to the bed 
where Shadow had thrown down the pillow. 
But the pillow blurred and the counterpane 
blurred and a big lump climbed up in her 
throat, so she just crumpled down at the 
side of the bed and began to cry in earnest. 

I wanted to fly down and put a wing 


Star Was Content 


45 


about her, but bless you! I was acting al¬ 
most as badly as she was. 

When the first big sob was out and had 
opened the way for a still larger one, the 
Giant, with a piece of green cheese in his 
hand, stooped through the doorway. She 
was so small and so tucked away that he 
didn’t see her; but a sob came his way, and 
following its path, he found her. He stood 
over her, puzzling about such a queer carry¬ 
ing-on, his huge head quirked to one side. 

“Well now!” he exclaimed kindly, to get 
her attention. 

“Oh!” gasped the little Stranger as she 
looked up. The Giant’s eyes were so neigh¬ 
borly and kind that the little Star gave them 
all she had to offer in the way of a smile; 
and they smiled back at her. 

“Something wrong, hmmm?” he said. 
“Well, you’re going to sit right down beside 
me and tell me all about it.” 

Although the Stranger wasn’t frightened 
at this huge fellow, she was surprised. She 
didn’t move and he proceeded to sit as much 
of himself as was possible on the small bed. 
Really, nothing but the four posts of it 
could be seen from where I was perched. 


4G 


Why the Stranger 

when he had seated himself. He took a 
couple of fingers and lifted her beside him; 
and through his forest of black whiskers she 
caught a peep of his face, smiling down at 
her. 

“But first we eat,” said the Giant, break¬ 
ing off a piece of cheese half the size of her¬ 
self. “Here. The cheese I promised you.” 

Not wishing to be impolite she took the 
big piece he offered her. But it was so large 
that she had to rest it on her lap and break 
off a bite. 

“I suppose they forgot I was hungry,” 
she said. 

“Oh, they mean well,” said the Giant in 
a sort of apology for the family, “but they 
are forgetful. Eat. Don’t be afraid. 
There’s lots more.” 

The Stranger took a nibble. “It’s good,” 
she exclaimed. Then she took a full-sized 
bite and after that a very large one. 

“Oh, it’s not bad as cheese goes,” com¬ 
mented the Giant. 

They ate their lunch in silence for a time. 
The little Stranger grew more and more 
comfortable. By and by she felt enough at 
ease to venture a question. 


Star Was Content 


47 


“Who are you?” she asked. 

“Oh, just somebody they take for 
granted,” explained the Giant. “Some 
famous scholar christened me with a long, 
hard name; Gravitation, I think it is. But 
I never use it. For all my size, I’m just 
about nobody.” 

“But you’re kind to me,” declared the 
Stranger. 

“And why not? If I weren’t kind- 
hearted my work would have driven me 
scatter-pated before this. It’s the same with 
all us Natural Laws,” he went on, growing 
serious and reflective; “the whole family is 
misunderstood. We’re not appreciated. 
We do a lot of good and nobody notices it.” 

“And good should be noticed, shouldn’t 
it?” said the Stranger Star thoughtfully. 

This remark touched upon the Giant’s 
favorite subject. “Ah,” he began spiritedly, 
“when we do enough to outweigh the bad 
we do, plump! down go the scales and we 
get a big prize. That’s what I’m working 
and waiting for. You haven’t got the prize 
yet, have you?” 

“Why, no,” said the Stranger slowly, not 
understanding the Giant’s idea of a prize. 


48 


Why the Stranger 

He began to make his idea clear. “Let’s 
take your case,” he said. “They want you 
to he a nurse maid. Now did you ever think 
what a nurse maid can do? Hmmm? She 
can make it comfortable for the Stars and 
they will be happier. And that goes on 
record. She can make their clothes brighter 
and handsomer. And that goes into the 
scales. She can bring cheer and kind words 
and oh, so many things. And it’s all put in¬ 
to the scales. She can dust this old Moon 
Palace and when people see it all shiny and 
bright and say, Tsn’t the moon lovely to¬ 
night?’ down go the scales a bit farther. 
And after a long, long time, when she has 
done enough-” 

The little Star’s eyes had been growing 
brighter and brighter; now all of a sudden 
she jumped down exclaiming, “Oh, I must 
hurry! They’ll be back!” 

“But wait,” protested the Giant, “I’ve 
not finished. I’ve not come to the prize 
yet!” 

Already the new nurse maid was work¬ 
ing away swiftly at the beds. “I don’t need 
the prize you are going to tell me of,” she 
said smiling. 



Star Was Content 


49 


The Giant got slowly to his feet and stood 
watching her, scratching his head in amaze¬ 
ment. 

“Well, now!” he exclaimed presently. 
“Well, now. Would you ever!” 

“And that,” said Mister Owl, finishing, 
“is why and how the Star children come to 
have a better nurse maid than the one they 
had had before; even though they didn’t 
seem to deserve her.” 


CHAPTER VI 


A HAPPY DEBATE WHICH KEPT SHADOW 
FROM RUNNING AWAY TO THE 
SUN TO RUB OFF SPOTS 

HE story filled a larger and 
larger place in the children’s 
thoughts. Paul liked the 
Giant very much and his 
words impressed him greatly; 
while Emily was more interested in the little 
Stranger Star and the reason why she was 
content to do housework. As the owl-light 
gathered the next evening, the story teller 
began unfolding more of the story with high 
enthusiasm: 

The days and weeks came and went until 
a whole Moon had slipped by. The Stranger 
Star went about her work happy and con¬ 
tented, and her work was done satisfactorily. 
The Moon Mother was highly pleased with 
her new maid who never complained and 

who usually sang at her work. She was so 

50 

















51 


Shadow from Running Away 

well pleased that her satisfaetion shone in 
her eyes when she looked at the little maid 
and sounded in her voice when she spoke to 
her. 

But just as I feared, the Star children 
gave a false color to the Stranger’s kindness 
and the mother’s pleasure, and grew jeal¬ 
ous. With no reason except jealousy they 
began to gossip among themselves, worse 
than my cousins-by-marriage, the Magpies, 
would have done. They told one another 
how bad the new Star was; they watched 
her constantly, hoping that she might do 
something really wicked so that they might 
complain to their mother about her. But 
they watched and waited in vain. 

The Stranger’s eyes, which were looking 
only for happiness about her, did not see 
how unkind the faces of the Stars had 
grown. But I saw; and oh, how I sat on 
thorns during their lesson hours! 

One wonderful night the Stranger was at 
the end of the garden, bending over the edge 
of the Moon. That night! If I were a 
poet and not a mathematician I might de¬ 
scribe it to you. The sky was a deep blue 
and soft as velvet. The Stars were twin- 


52 A Happy Debate Which Kept 

kling unusually well in the hands of the 
Giant. It was warm and the fragrance of 
many flowers filled the air. The garden, the 
exquisite Garden of the Moon, where all the 
flowers are whiter than milk, and all dusted 
over with silver, was more brilliant than ever 
before. There were roses and sweet peas 
and nasturtiums and lilacs and fir trees and 
shrubs and bushes, all pure white! The light 
from the great lanterns in the Palace tower 
at the other end of the garden made them 
fairly sparkle. And at the garden’s edge, 
which is also the Moon’s edge, the little 
Stranger knelt. As she worked at some¬ 
thing, deeply interested, she sang a song. I 
shall always remember the words of it: 

“Oh, my window looks out over everything. 
And everywhere there is good to see; 

I can hear the songs that the Planets sing. 
And the Sun winks his golden eye at me. 

And the Moon gives me one of her white, 
bright looks 

As she watches her children, her jewels 
that shine; 

The changing Clouds are my picture 
books,— 

Oh, I love you all and you all are mine!” 


Shadow from Running Away 53 

Suddenly she broke off singing and faced 
about. In a shadowy corner of the garden 
a form came creeping slowly, carefully. It 
was the old servant, Shadow! He was about 
to take his leave, for his broad travelling 
hat was pulled down to his ears. He crept 
to the edge of the JNIoon. He looked about 
warily but failed to notice the little Stranger. 
He picked out a strong moonbeam. Just 
as he stepped for it, with one foot off the 
Moon, the little Star asked, “Where are 
you going. Shadow?” 

Though she spoke the words very simply 
and honestly, he jumped back as if he had 
been shot. He couldn’t reply at once, and 
when he did, it was with great pretended 
anger. 

“Back to my old position on the Sun,” 
he growled. 

“Why?” she questioned further. 

“Why?” he repeated. “There are many 
whys. Madam Moon Mother asks me to 
do work unbecoming to a gentleman.” 

“What?” was her next inquiry. 

“What?” he again repeated. “Oh,—er,— 
many things. Er-hanging out clothes. Yes, 



54 A Ilcqjpy Debate Which KejA 

that’s it, hanging out clothes! Suppose some 
of my friends should see me!” 

“I’ll hang them out for you,” said the 
Stranger kindly. 

“Oh,—but-” Shadow’s nervousness 

stopped any answer that tried to get itself 
said. 

“I’ll go to the JMoon Mother now and tell 
her,” the Stranger decided, starting for the 
Moon Palace. 

“Oh, no! Oh, no!” begged Shadow, now so 
frightened that he blocked her way and 
waved her back with awkward gestures. 

“I’ll find time to hang them out,” she 
said; but looking up at his gray face she 
drew back, exclaiming, “Why, you’re shak¬ 
ing like a moon-quake! You’re ill!” 

The old servant certainly did not look 
like himself, and what made things worse, 
he had to say something to explain his looks. 
No excuse came to him, so he had to admit, 
“The true fact is, she never really asked me 
to hang out clothes. But I am sure she is 
going to. That is, I believe she will.” 

Poor Shadow! This reply didn’t give him 
any more peace than it gave satisfaction to 
the Stranger. After fumbling about and 




Shadow from Running Away 55 

finding no escape save in a clean breast of 
the whole matter he confessed, “Well, it’s 
my pride is why I am going. I vowed that 
I would leave, and the fact is, you see, I 
must.” 

“But you vowed that the day I came, a 
wdiole Moon ago,” reminded the Stranger. 

“I didn’t say I’d go right then/" he ar¬ 
gued. 

“You needn’t go right now/" she re¬ 
turned. 

“My pride-” he began and stopped. 

“Did you ever swallow your pride?” the 
Stranger Star asked. 

“Why, no,” he admitted. “Not clear 
down.” 

“Then do it!” she cried. “Oh, it’s bitter, 
but after it’s down you are all happy inside. 
It lasts for days. I’ve done it.” 

Shadow almost liked the idea in spite of 
himself. 

“Why, you make it so nice I nearly want 
to do it,” he said. Then he quickly saw 
that he ought not to be influenced so easily. 
“I’ll try it sometime on the Sun,” he has¬ 
tened to say, moving towards the Moon’s 
edge. 



56 A Happy Debate Which Kept 

“I wonder what the Moon Mother will do 
without him?” the Stranger thought out so 
loud that Shadow was again forced to stop. 

“I don’t know,” he replied as though she 
had asked the question of him. “I’ve 
been busy thinking of what I’d do.” 

“Oughtn’t you think of her?” she said as 
he slowly returned. 

Shadow took off his hat and rubbed his 
head. “I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe. 
... I wish you would stop saying such 
things to me,” he growled, growing more 
and more uneasy. 

“What such things?” asked the little Star. 

“About—about-” He had to call 

upon his pride to rescue him. “No,” he de¬ 
clared, “I vowed that I was going and I am. 
Even if I swallowed my pride and thought 
of her, it would be a miserable life. You 
can’t deny that. Quarrelling children! 
Nothing ever happening! Oh dear! Now 
on the Sun it’s different. We have hot times 
there. I’ll tell you.” 

“Are hot times as good as good times?” 
the Stranger questioned. 

“Why, you little silly,” he replied with 
wise airs, “hot times are good times and good 




Shadow from Running Axvay 57 

times are hot times. Now if you can show 
me a good time here-’’ 

That request opened an argument. “There 
is! There is!” she said quickly. “Whenyou 
are busy lighting up the Moon lamps what 
do you think of?” 

“What can I think of but how long will 
it take me and when will I get a chance to 
eat and sleep again? What else is there 
to think of?” he asked. 

“A whole universe of things,” was the 
quick answer. “You can think that away 
off yonder there are hundreds of worlds, 
each filled with thousands of eyes that will 
be looking at your work. And there will be 
thousands of happy hearts if you do your 
work well.” 

“That would be a funny hot time,” said 
the old man scoffingly. 

“It would be a good time,” corrected the 
Star. 

“Then there’s a difference!” 

“Yes,” she nodded. 

“Well, what a queer way of thinking!” 
said Shadow, seating himself on the white 
garden bench. 



58 A Happy Debate Which Kept 

“But isn’t it a nice way?” she asked, smil¬ 
ing. 

Shadow blundered, “I don’t know—I 
never tried it—but I almost believe-” 

“Then you’ll stay!” cried the Stranger 
happily. 

“Oh, I didn’t promise,” he hurried to say. 
“My pride-” 

As soon as he spoke of his pride he stopped 
and got up quickly. But the Stranger’s 
eyes were looking at him and he forgot his 
pride as soon as he remembered it. “I—I 
mean,” he explained, “that I am so upset 
I might tumble off a moonbeam if I started 
now. I’ll ju st sit here and rest a bit.” 

Now it wasn’t hard for any one of my in¬ 
telligence to guess that he had no idea of 
leaving; but he didn’t let the Stranger Star 
know this. He remained quiet, and as she 
could say no more, she returned to her work 
on the edge of the Moon. Shadow sat stiffly 
and watched her for some time. Then curi¬ 
osity got the better of him and he said 
timidly, “Might I ask what you are busy 
with?” 

“I am putting some careless moonbeams 
back in place,” she told him. “I want this 





59 


Shadow fi'om Running Away 

one to fall so a little Earth-child can play 
with it.” 

'‘Earth-child!” cried Shadow, rising in as¬ 
tonishment. “Why they can’t play with 
moonbeams. I know all about Earth-peo¬ 
ple. They have four legs and no fingers and 
a tail and horns.” 

“Shadow!” she laughed. “Earth-people 
have horns?” 

“I ought to know,” he insisted wisely, “I 
saw one close up.” 

“You saw an Earth-being?” 

“I saw the only one that has ever visited 
these parts,” declared the old fellow. “One 
jumped over the JNIoon once. One named 
Cow.” 

The Stranger burst into such uncontrol¬ 
lable laughter that Shadow showed signs of 
becoming angry. “Why that was no Earth- 
child,” she explained; “that was an Earth- 
animal.” 

“Well now,” said Shadow seriously, "you 
don’t say.” 

“Earth children are like me,” she con¬ 
tinued. 

“Then a Cow is an animal,” mused 
Shadow thoughtfully. 


60 A Hapi^y Debate Which Kept 

“Yes,” she said, and added the suggestion, 
“If you have imagination enough you can 
see the Earth-people.” 

“Can you?” he asked. “I’ve never tried.” 

Being so interested he was not hard to 
persuade to try; and he leaned over the edge 
of the Moon and squinted at the great ball 
which is the Earth. After a couple of trial 
squints he said, “It’s queer now, but I do 
see something. It has pink toes and it’s 
wriggling them. I do believe he’s going to 
laugh. Wait. Give me that moonbeam. 
. . . There you little rascal. Look at him! 
Look at him reach for it! Why this is a 
good time. I’ll surely have to put off leav¬ 
ing until tomorrow.” 

He chuckled and the Stranger laughed 
with him. Presently she whispered, “He’s 
asleep with the moonbeam in his hand.” 

With a smile on his face, the happy old 
servant straightened his crooked body. His 
eyes scanned the Planets and the Moon¬ 
beams. “Look,” he said, “there’s another 
moonbeam that ought to be doing something 
useful. I’ll just go over and see what can 
be done about it.” 

Without realizing that he was working 


61 


Shadow from Running Aivay 

again, Shadow went down the garden path 
hunting idle moonbeams; while at his gray 
heels skipped the little Stranger Star, sing¬ 
ing her song. 

“All,” sighed Mister Owl in fond remem¬ 
brance, “it was a beautiful night and it makes 
a lovely memory; that is, the first part of 
the night does. But now I come to the sec¬ 
ond part. Dear me!” he declared, glancing 
at his big watch, “I can’t say another word 
or Hired Man John will be after me with a 
gun for keeping you out so late.” 


CHAPTER VII 


WHAT MISTER OWL SAW FROM THE TOT OF 
A WHITE FIR TREE IN THE MOON 
GARDEN AT MIDNIGHT 

HEN the three were assem¬ 
bled under the oak tree on 
the following eventide, Mis¬ 
ter B. Owl was anxious to 
know if Paul and Emily had 
reached the house before their mother had 
become alarmed about them. For, as he 
said, it was as hard for him to remember 
that children go to bed at night and do not 
get up then as he did, as it was hard for 
him to see any reason for their doing so; 
because night was the time when Dreams 
live and Fairies appear and Animals have 
voices and when almost everything that is 
interesting happens. When he was assured 
that they had not been late, he sighed out 
all his anxiety and conscience-clear went on 
with what took place in the Garden of the 
Moon: 



62 










The Top of a White Fir Tree 63 

Shadow and the Stranger Star were so 
busy and so happy that they were unaware 
of the voices which were whispering together 
in a dark, shadowy spot in the garden. In 
fact, from my position of vantage in the tall 
fir tree, I didn’t notice them myself, I was so 
taken up with the old man and the little 
maid. 

What had been happening was this. About 
midnight the Dipper had slipped along one 
of Gravitation’s fingers while he stood in¬ 
venting fancies for himself, and had hopped 
into the garden. Keeping close to the deep¬ 
est shadows, it had been whispering among 
its two selves,—the Handle and the Bowl. 
I caught a bird’s-eye view of it just as it 
beckoned off to the Steadfast Star, who soon 
appeared above the Moon’s edge and joined 
it. 

“Do you see what she is doing?” whis¬ 
pered the Dipper Bowl excitedly as the lit¬ 
tle Stranger skipped along at Shadow’s 
heels. 

“She’s keeping Shadow from work!” ex¬ 
claimed the Steadfast Star with a note of 
great satisfaction in her discovery. 

“And she’s mixing up mother’s moon- 


G4 What Mr, Owl Saw From 

beams,” added the Bowl with even more 
satisfaction. 

“At last,” cried the Handle joyously, “we 
have something to tell mother on her, so she’ll 
be punished.” 

With each expression of their dishonest 
joy, I grew more angry at them. Soon the 
Dog Star bounded on, attracted by their 
merry-making. 

“Now what trouble are you stirring up?” 
he asked, looking at them suspiciously. 

“We can get even with our beggar nurse 
maid at last,” announced the Handle. 

“Get even? Why?” asked the Dog Star, 
whom I had always liked even though he 
was a blunt, boisterous fellow. 

“I hate her,” answered the Handle. 

“So do I,” echoed the Steadfast Star. 

“So do I,” re-echoed the Bowl. 

“So did I,” said the Dog Star, “till I 
found out that she was generally more right 
than I was. You ought to be glad she’s a 
good nurse and not a bad one.” 

“She’s a good-goody,” insisted the Han¬ 
dle, “and always has her work done and al¬ 
ways is smiling and singing and never gets 
cross. That’s why I hate her.” 


The Top of a White Fir Tree 65 

“Isn’t that a beautiful lot to hate her for!” 
laughed the Dog Star. 

The Bowl gave his grounds for disliking 
the Stranger. “She makes me so uncom¬ 
fortable when I talk to her. That’s why I 
hate her.” 

“I guess there’s a good reason why you 
feel so uncomfortable,” replied the Dog Star 
knowingly. 

Then the Steadfast Star cast her stones. 

■ “She’s only a servant and a beggar servant 
at that, and she hasn’t any nice clothes and 
she isn’t a bit pretty; but she thinks she’s as 
good as we are.” 

The Dog Star refused to be a partner in 
their plan. “These are not reasons; they’re 
excuses. And in my opinion,” he said warn- 
ingly, “the wise thing for you to do is to 
get back to your own business as I’m going 
to do.” 

With that he leaped over the Moon’s edge 
into the sky. And from that night on, even 
though he was quite backward and trouble¬ 
some, I couldn’t keep from helping him with 
his arithmetic more than I helped the other 
Stars. 

The Dog Star had made them a bit fright- 


66 


What Mr, Owl Saw From 


ened and the Steadfast Star, remembering 
her name, felt that she couldn’t shirk even 
though she wanted to. So she started to 
follow him. 

“You must be the one to tell mother,” 
cried the Bowl after her. “We can’t. She 
warned us about leaving our work.” 

But the Steadfast Star insisted that she 
must leave. The Bowl grew fearful, not 
knowing who would do the telling. The 
Handle, whose conscience was more like that 
which a villain should have, quieted them 
by saying, “Don’t lose your heads. The 
Evening Star hates the Stranger because 
the Stranger told her that Beauty isn’t 
found in fine clothes. She’s through shin¬ 
ing by midnight and she will just love to 
tell mother.” 

This solved the difficulty. “I’ll stop and 
see her on my way back,” agreed the Stead¬ 
fast Star, glad to shift the responsibility. 
All seemed arranged and the Bowl started 
to leave the garden with the Steadfast Star, 
But the Handle held back. 

“Where do you think we’re going?” he 
asked. 

“Out to work,” replied the Bowl. 


The Top of a White Fir Tree 67 

“We’re not,” said the Handle, pulling 
the opposite way. “We’re going to wait for 
the Evening Star.” 

“We’re not either,” cried the Bowl, pull¬ 
ing forward. “She knows enough-” 

“She doesn’t,” was the reply. “We 
started this and-” 

“If we stay here,” interrupted the Bowl, 
whining, “nurse will come and want to know 
why we are here and I can't tell her!" 

“I wish I could shine by myself,” declared 
the Handle in disgust, “and didn’t have a 
’fraid Bowl fastened onto me.” 

“I’m not fastened onto you,” the Bowl 
spoke up hotly; “you’re fastened onto me.” 

“I’m not!” cried the Handle. 

“You are tool” 

“I’m not!” 

“You are!” 

It looked as though the Dipper would 
come to blows between its two selves; but 
at this moment the Stranger tripped up the 
path around the corner of a rosebush. The 
Dipper nervously straightened itself out and 
was quiet. The Bowl kept twisting uneas¬ 
ily, but the Handle was unafraid and looked 
at the Stranger defiantly. 




68 


What Mr, Owl Saw From 


“Oh, I am glad you are through work,” 
said the nurse maid, never mentioning what 
she had seen as she came up. “Your mother 
is worrying over your clothes. So if you’ll 
go in and change them. I’ll repair them right 
now.” 

The Bowl begged and the Handle or¬ 
dered the Stranger to leave and not bother 
them. The little nurse, thinking only of 
what the Moon Mother had said about their 
clothes, wanted to do what had been asked 
of her. And just as with Shadow earlier 
in the evening, her kind intentions again 
brought out a confession. 

“We shouldn’t be here,” cried the Bowl, 
frightened. 

“Then why are you here?” asked the 
Stranger. 

“Oh, go away,” growled the Handle. 

But the uncomfortable Bowl couldn’t give 
harsh answers such as the Handle gave and 
so he explained, “A big black Cloud got in 
front of us and we couldn’t shine through 
him, so we came home a minute.” 

“Why did he stand in front of you?” 
questioned the Stranger. “Clouds don’t 
stand still.” 


The Top of a White Fir Tree 69 

'‘He—wanted a drink,” mumbled the 
Bowl. 

“But after you gave him a drink didn’t 
he go?” 

“No,” cut in the Handle crossly. 

“He was ugly and mean and black and 
we didn’t give him a drink,” contradicted 
the Bowl, hanging his four heads. 

The Stranger Star was amazed. “How 
could you help giving him a drink?” she 
cried. 

“Oh, you don’t know how tiresome our 
work it,” whined the Bowl. “Always giving 
old Clouds water.” 

The Dipper expected that something 
dreadful would happen. It huddled to¬ 
gether closely. But the Stranger forgot 
all about it as she began to speak, almost 
to herself. 

“I don’t see how you could help it,” she 
said softly. “When I think of your work, 
when I see him coming to you weary and 
thirsty,—why don’t you see and feel as I 
do?” 

Her eyes were bright and her voice gentle 
as she spoke,—well, just hke a rhyme 
sounds. 



70 


What Mr. Owl Saw From 


“A thirsty Cloud in a world of blue— 

A sky watercart asks a drink of you: 

And you smile and you bow as he comes to 
your brink, 

And while you are bowing, the Cloud takes 
a drink. 

Pie soon is refreshed and his heart is made 
gay. 

And mumbling his thanks he is swift on his 
way 

Till his face grows pale and his body grows 
slim 

As he uses the water you’ve given to him 

In answering every thirsty call 

Till he’s given so much he is nothing at all. 

Oh, there’s no more happier thought I can 
think 

* 

Than giving the kind-hearted Clouds a 
drink.” 

The Dipper considered this very silly and 
said so. But without even waiting to hear 
its remarks, the Stranger Star was off to 
draw some water for the thirsty Cloud. Af¬ 
ter she was gone the Bowl said, “She makes 
me so uncomfortable, I’d rather be 
whipped.” 

Ere long, the Evening Star, through with 



The Top of a White Fir Tree 71 

her work, came into the garden. Then the 
Dipper grew happy again. It told her 
everything, adding a new offense, that of 
the Stranger’s going to steal water. 

The Evening Star had something to tell 
too. “When I was going out to shine at 
sunset,” she said, “I saw her away over in 
the west, creeping along; and whenever a 
brilliant sun-ray passed she caught it and 
hid it in her old dress.” 

“Tell mother that too,” urged the Bowl. 

The Evening Star promised to leave noth¬ 
ing unsaid, and, without more words, hur¬ 
ried to the Moon Palace. Oh, how angry I 
was! And how I wanted to be a sky-lark 
then! You see, the lark is the bird that flies 
up to the Stars and tells them when they 
have not shone properly on the Earth. So 
they are afraid of her. But alas, I was but 
an owl and all I could do was remain 
perched on my seat and become angrier. 

When the Evening Star had gone, the 
wicked Bowl had another fear. “Suppose 
mother won’t believe all she tells her? Sup¬ 
pose nurse tells a different story?” 

“JMother will always believe her children 
before she will a Stranger,” replied the Han- 


72 What Mr, Owl Saw From 

die confidently; and feeling that everything 
was settled, the Dipper returned to its work 
in the northwest corner of the sky. 

I was wondering just what would happen 
next when someone singing very much out 
of tune came down the garden path. Oh, 
it was very bad singing! But when I saw 
that it was Shadow and saw how full of 
smiles his wrinkled face was, and how happy 
he was with the moonbeams, I forgave him. 
While he was bending over the Moon’s edge, 
the Evening Star with her mother entered 
the garden. 

“It is terrible all she has done,” the Eve¬ 
ning Star was saying rapidly. “I haven’t 
told you half. She has kept Shadow from 
his work all night. There he is now.” 

It appeared that she had convinced her 
mother of the truth in all she had told, for 
the Moon Mother’s brow was drawn, and 
upon seeing Shadow she stopped and called 
severely, “Shadow!” 

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered politely, turn¬ 
ing towards her. 

“What are you doing?” she demanded. 

“Er—playing with them,” he replied. 
“The Stranger showed me-” 



The Top of a White Fir Tree 73 

“The Stranger!” repeated the mother. 
“Why are you out here?” 

“I wouldn’t be out here at all if the 
Stranger hadn’t persuaded me-” 

The INIoon Mother did not permit him to 
finish his explanation, but commanded with¬ 
out waiting for more, “You may go to the 
Palace and commence on the work which 
you have neglected.” 

So Shadow had no chance to explain that 
the Stranger had persuaded him to stay and 
had made him happy. He took a last sigh¬ 
ful look at the moonbeams, then hobbled up 
the path and in at a side door to set about his 
lamp-polishing. 

“I can’t believe it all,” said the Moon 
Mother sadly as she sat down on the garden 
seat. 

“It’s true, it’s true, mother,” asserted the 
Evening Star. “She has been putting moon¬ 
beams out of place night after night. And 
she has used Cloudfuls and Cloudfuls of 
M^ater that the Dipper should use. And 
only this evening I caught her sneaking 
along-” 

“Don’t tell me any more, dear,” said the 
Moon Mother, raising her hand and walking 




74 What Mr, Owl Saw From 

away. “I have treated her so kindly and all 
the time she has been deceiving me.” 

“I didn’t like to tell,” said the Evening 
Star, whose conscience hurt a little, “but I 
thought you ought to know.” 

The night seemed very, very silent as 
the two stood in the garden waiting. And 
somehow, it wasn’t as beautiful as it had 
been earlier, before midnight. Then,—^the 
little Star’s song came clear and soft; and 
into the presence of the wicked Evening Star 
and her angry mother came the little 
Stranger, never guessing the censure that 
awaited her or the unjust punishment the 
jealous Stars had prepared for her. 

“And it makes me so angry now,” said 
Mister Owl, “that I need a hot day’s sleep 
before I can tell about it.” 

So saying, he bade the children good¬ 
night and flew away. 


CHAPTER VIII 


IN WHICH THE STRANGER REFUSES TO TELL 
TALES AND IS MADE TO STAY INDOORS 
FOR TWELVE WHOLE MOONS 

URING the next afternoon 
the skies darkened, the thun¬ 
der rumbled and the rain be¬ 
gan to come down in torrents. 
At first Paul and Emily told 
themselves it was only a shower which would 
cease before nightfall. But the hour of sun¬ 
set drew near, and the rain continued to 
come down; at twilight there was still a fine 
drizzle and the outdoor world was wet and 
cold, with small streams dripping every¬ 
where. 

It was two very sad children who had to 
give up hope of meeting Mister Owl by the 
spring path. They went upstairs early. 
Their minds seemed so far away from their 
bodies that their mother felt they must be 
ill. 

Finally they gave in to their disappoint- 

75 














7G In Which the Stranger 

merit and made the best of it with as much 
happiness as they could. They talked about 
the story; and when they reached the part 
where the Stranger faced the Evening Star 
and her mother, they tried to think of what 
would happen next. Then, when their 
imaginations would work no more, they 
pressed their faces against the window pane 
and gazed out into the wet darkness. 

They were startled by a flapping of wings; 
and there, right on the window sill sat Mis¬ 
ter Owl in a long rain coat! He pecked 
against the pane with his beak, saying, “Push 
up the window just a bit, will you? There. 
Now you can hear me better. And turn 
down the light so I won’t be blinded. Ah, 
thank you. And now we won’t be angry 
with the much-needed rain, but we’ll be quite 
comfortable in spite of it.” 

So Mister Owl, sitting in a dry corner of 
the window sill, continued the story for Paul 
and Emily, who sat comfortably on pillows 
in their darkened room: 

When the Stranger came up to the Eve¬ 
ning Star and the Moon Mother, who were 
standing silent in the garden, she hesitated 


lief uses to Tell Tales 77 

a moment, then said politely, “Good after¬ 
midnight.” 

The Moon ^Mother turned and looked 
down upon the little speaker without so 
much as a nod for a greeting. 

“How sad you look!” exclaimed the 
Stranger when the ^Moonlight fell upon the 
Moon Mother’s face. “Can I do anything? 
Can I help you?” 

“I have trusted you, haven’t I?” began 
the JMoon IMother. This was a simple 
enough question and did not prepare the 
little Stranger for what was to follow. 

“Yes, Moon Mother,” she replied happily, 
“and I thank you.” 

“Those who are not trustworthy should 
be punished, shouldn’t they?” continued the 
^loon ]Mother. 

“Yes,” agreed the Stranger, “for it helps 
them to become trustworthy.” 

“You are not to be trusted,” said the 
Moon jNIother in a slow, cold way that made 
you shiver. 

The Stranger Star’s breath was taken 
quite aw^ay, and she stepped back, able only 
to whisper, “I’m—not?” 

“You have been disobeying in many 



78 


hi Which the Stranger 

ways,” declared the mother. “At least ad¬ 
mit this truth. Haven’t you?” 

“I don’t remember,” she said honestly, 
still so surprised that she couldn’t think 
clearly. 

“Maybe I can help you remember,” the 
mother said. “First, you have kept Shadow 
from his work.” 

The Stranger, who had caught some of 
her breath, began to feel unafraid and like 
herself. She was just a bit amused at the 
thought of where Shadow would have been 
if she hadn’t kept him from his work, so to 
speak. She admitted with a queer smile, 
“Yes, in a way I have.” 

“Why?” asked her questioner. 

“Because if I hadn’t he would-” She 

stopped; for now that Shadow had decided 
to stay it didn’t seem fair, somehow, to tell 
that he had been on the point of leaving. 
She paused and the Moon Mother waited 
impatiently. “I don’t want to tell,” was 
what she said finallv. 

ft/ 

“No wonder,” sneered the Evening Star, 
because the Stranger Star’s fearlessness 
piqued her. 

The mother had made up her mind about 



79 


'Befuses to Tell Tales 

Shadow. “Do you think that I cannot take 
care of my own moonbeams?” she asked, 
coming to her second point. 

“Oh, yes,” replied the Stranger, “but I 
thought I might help you.” 

“How long have you been doing what you 
call helping?” 

“Only tonight.” 

“Tell me how many nights,” insisted the 
Moon Mother. 

Having told the truth, the little Star did 
not know what more she could say. As she 
paused, the Evening Star reminded her 
mother of another fault and the questioning 
went on. 

“The Dipper has its own work. Do you 
think you should attempt to be a Dipper?” 
was the next inquiry. 

“No I oughtn’t, but-” Again the Star 

stopped, unwilling to tell tales even on the 
Dipper. In vain did the mother ask for 
reasons for the Stranger’s drawing water; 
and when the Stranger would not tell on 
the wicked Dipper she was further con¬ 
vinced that the little Star should be pun¬ 
ished. She made a last dreadful accusation. 

“You were in the west this evening with- 



80 In Which the Stranger 

out permission. Do you care to tell me 
why?” she asked. 

The Stranger Star hesitated, gave the 
Evening Star a quick glance, then smiled 
and shook her head. “Please,” she begged, 
“I’d rather not tell now. It’s a secret.” 

“I won’t insist,” said the mother. 

The Stranger had done nothing to make 
her afraid, and she had been quite honest 
during the questioning, which she did not 
understand. So she had no cause to feel 
uneasy or guilty. But when the Moon 
Mother came up close to her and looked at 
her steadily, she began to tremble as though 
something fearful was about to happen. 

“I have taken you in,” were the mother’s 
bitter words, “sheltered you and fed you and 
given you a home; in return you have been 
unsatisfied and have tried to become like 
one of my own children. You have misused 
your liberty, you have deceived me and you 
have been untruthful to me.” 

“Oh, no!” protested the little Star. 

“I am speaking,” reprimanded the mother. 
“You have been untrustworthy and must 
be punished. For twelve Moons you must 


'Refuses to Tell Tales 


81 


remain inside the Palace where you can be 
watched.’’ 

The Stranger looked beseechingly into 
the stern face above her, unable to under¬ 
stand such a punishment; she could not be¬ 
lieve that the Moon Mother meant what the 
dreadful words seemed to say. “For twelve 
whole Moons?” she asked. “Without my 
Sun and Clouds and Sky? Oh, but pleased 

“Then answer some of the questions that 
I have asked you,” said the mother offering 
an only hope. 

The Stranger thought very hard for a 
minute. She was thinking about telling on 
Shadow and the Dipper and about her 
secret. When she was through thinking she 
looked into the Moon Mother’s eyes and 
answered her question very quietly, “I 
can’t.” 

So it was done, and the punishment stood! 
There must have been many good thoughts 
flocking into her mind to offset the thought 
of staying in the house like a prisoner; that 
she had these thoughts I am sure, for when 
she spoke again it was in a bright, cheerful 
manner. “I won’t mind much,” she said, 
“and I’ll have a chance to prove that you 


82 In Which the Stranger 

can trust me. I like Shadow. And I can 
be happy opening doors for you, because you 
have some very nice visitors.” 

The Moon Mother made no answer to 
this beautiful speech, possibly because she 
was still very angry. Instead she turned 
briskly towards the Palace door. 

The instant her back was turned, the 
Stranger took quickly from beneath her 
grey dress a beautiful dress of sunset colors. 
She thrust it into the hands of the Evening 
Star, whispering, “Here! That’s the secret 
of why I was in the west. It’s not quite 
finished for I—I had meant to surprise you 
with it. I won’t have a chance to get more 
colors for it now. I do hope you like it.” 

Shamelessly and greedily and with the 
barest of thanks the Evening Star took the 
gift. 

“Tell the Dipper that I arranged every¬ 
thing with the Cloud and he isn’t a bit an¬ 
gry,” were the Stranger’s last words. With 
a loving farewell look at the great night sky, 
she hurried after the Moon Mother. 

Ere she entered the Palace door. Shadow 
met her. He was terribly upset. 



'Refuses to Tell Tales 83 

“I’ve heard,” he sputtered, “and I feel 
guilty.” 

“Why?” asked the Stranger. “Aren’t 
you happy now?” 

“Z am,” he replied, “bless you, yes! But 
you-” 

“That makes me happy,” said the Stran¬ 
ger. “We can work together. There are 
always as nice things to do inside the house 
as outside. Good-bye.” 

With these words she skipped off to her 
long imprisonment. And the way in which 
she went! Ah, I shall always remember it. 
There was a smile in her eyes and a song on 
her lips and a happiness in her heart which 
impressed me so much that I changed my 
whole system of conducting arithmetic 
classes; thereafter I used kindness instead 
of gruffness and anger. 

Now, to-night’s story should end here; but 
as you need have no fear about reaching 
home on time, I will go on and tell you 
of the last events of that eventful night. 
Shadow began them unconsciously by say¬ 
ing to himself, “Well, isn’t she the loveliest! 
Think of all she does for us!” 

The Evening Star was walking towards 



84 In Which the Stranger 

Shadow admiring her new dress; and you 
would think that if she had had anything 
to say under the circumstances it would have 
been in agreement with what he had said. 
But she only shrugged her shoulders and 
remarked, “Oh, well, it’s her business to 
make our dresses.” 

“And here she is being punished for be¬ 
ing so good to us,” Shadow continued, not 
having heard the Evening Sta/s unkind 
remark. 

“I haven’t been good,” boasted the Eve¬ 
ning Star, attracting his attention, “and I 
get a reward. It seems to me being bad is 
the safest.” 

Now the scampering of the Star children 
up and down the Giant’s fingers had aroused 
his curiosity earlier in the evening. He had 
looked on frequently at what was taking 
place. After the Evening Star made this 
last statement he stuck the top of his head 
over the edge of the Moon. 

“No, it isn’t,” he contradicted her. “I’ve 
been listening and watching what has been 
going on; and let me tell you the little Star 
will get her reward some day. When we 


Refuses to Tell Tales 85 

have done enough good we are bound to get 
a prize.” 

The Evening Star held up her beautiful 
dress. “But if we get prizes without being 
good,” she asked, “what is the use in being 
good?” 

There was no reply. It looked as though 
she had spoken the truth. The Giant, who 
dealt only in cold facts, was stumped and 
could only mutter some meaningless words. 
But at this point Shadow came near and 
spoke up calmly but with great certainty 
for him. 

“Pardon my speaking, sir,” he said, “but 
I have a feeling that you are both on the 
wrong track.” 

The Giant’s black eyes flashed. He did 
not relish this contradiction from an old 
servant. “What do you know about it?” 
he growled. 

“I’ve tried a little experiment on myself 
tonight,” replied Shadow, “and I believe 
I can see the little Star’s reasons for being 
good. And I believe I can understand her 
rewards, too.” 

“What are they?” demanded the Giant. 

He was growing angry. It began to look 


86 In Which the Strangej' 

bad for Shadow. But the old fellow never 
gave him a chance for another question. He 
merely scratched his head and started to¬ 
wards the servants’ entrance, saying as he 
went, “Oh, you wouldn’t believe them if I 
told you. But you may find out someday, 
and if you do, my! how surprised you will 
be.” 

And the angry Giant and the puzzled 
Evening Star were left alone to wonder 
about this queer answer. 

“That is all,” said Mister Owl, shaking 
out his feathers, “for though I stayed in the 
garden the whole night, nothing more hap¬ 
pened.” 

Mister Owl left his comfortable seat on 
the window sill; but it is worth mentioning 
that both children thanked him warmly for 
coming to them through the rain. 


CHAPTER IX 


IN WHICH THE ANGEL MESSENGER BRINGS 
ABOUT RAPID PREPARATIONS IN THE 
MOON PALACE WHEN HE DELIVERS 
THE GOLDEN SCROLL 

^HE sun came out bright the 
next day, and by evening the 
path was dry and it was 
warm and pleasant out-of- 
doors. When Mister B. Owl 
arrived he was greeted excitedly by the chil¬ 
dren, who were always there before him; 
and Paul stood on tiptoe to place something 
wrapped in brown paper on the branch. 
Mister Owl unwrapped the paper and 
brought to view a portion of Paul’s and 
Emily’s beefsteak, which they had saved 
from supper. Mister Owl’s eyes grew 
rounder than usual and he held up his two 
wdngs in surprised anticipation. ‘‘My, my!” 
he exclaimed. “If that isn’t thoughtful of 

you! It’s the very thing to go with my 

87 


















88 The Angel Messenger Brings 

grasshopper pie to make up my midnight 
dinner!” 

When Mister Owl had finished sniffing 
and admiring the beefsteak, he put it in his 
pocket and settled back to tell more of the 
story of the Stranger Star: 

After the memorable night on which the 
little Star received her unjust punishment, 
days and weeks and even months passed by 
without anything important happening. Oh, 
a few small changes took place. Shadow 
worked very regularily, and he sang so much 
that really his voice grew quite musical. The 
Giant became more anxious about his re¬ 
ward idea. And the Stranger worked on 
as she said she would, happy and contented. 

The long course in two-times-twos was 
finished, and every single Star could say his 
sixes frontwards and backwards. There had 
been impressive exercises and every Star had 
been given a diploma with a gold seal on it, 
and my own name written under it. My 
work was done. My books were packed and 
I was all ready to make the long journey 
back to the Earth for a visit with my brother 
Mister Snow Owl and his handsome family. 


89 


About Rapid Preparations 

It was hard to think of going because I 
felt that all scores were not settled on the 
Moon. The Star children were still greedy 
and unkind, and no justice had been meted 
out to them for their disgraceful treatment 
of the Stranger. I had waited for months 
expecting this justice, but it hadn’t come. 
So I had to bear my cold comfort as best I 
could. 

On a crisp winter day, near twilight, I 
was taking a last fly over the garden, my 
mind heavy with these thoughts. Suddenly 
I heard a sound of strange wings unlike any 
I knew, and looking up I saw a white figure 
dropping swiftly through the sky. It 
alighted in the garden and placed in the 
hands of Shadow, who was standing in the 
doorway, a golden scroll. Although I had 
never before seen one, my wide reading 
made me know this figure to be an Angel 
Messenger. 

Well! Shadow was excited and so was 
I! He hurried into the Palace, and so did I. 
He peered into the various rooms in search 
of someone. At length he reached the 
Throne Room. 

Now I must tell you a word about this 


90 The Angel Messenger Brings 

great room where the throne was; for much 
of interest was soon to happen there. The 
walls were of large sapphires of a very deli¬ 
cate blue. Around the walls were borders 
of gold and silver stars. The high ceiling, 
which was studded with jewels, was sup¬ 
ported by many slender pillars. Before the 
five irregular doorways of gorgeous design, 
were hung all the splendid sky colors, woven 
into beautiful hangings. In the centre of 
the longest wall stood the throne, high up, 
and reached by ten snow white steps. Be¬ 
hind and above the throne was a large, 
luminous ball, like a full moon, which cast 
a soft, warm light over the whole room. 

When Shadow came in the Stranger was 
standing on tiptoe on the arm of the throne, 
dusting the topmost part. Shadow almost 
failed to see his little friend in his excite¬ 
ment. When he saw her he forgot the 
golden scroll, in anxiety over her reaching 
so high. 

“Oh, now,” he said, “that’s too high and 
too hard for you.” 

“It will make me grow tall,” laughed the 
Stranger as she sat down among the soft 
cushions. 


91 


About Rapid Preparations 

A clever thought came to Shadow, “You 
run to the Moon Mother with this message,” 
he begged, “and I’ll finish the dusting.” 

“What is it?” asked the Stranger with 
wide open eyes. 

Shadow told from whom he had received 
the scroll. “For some reason the Angel was 
kind enough to speak to me and asked me to 
deliver it,” he explained. 

“From an Angel!” exclaimed the Stran¬ 
ger. “What can it be!” 

“Something grand and unusual,” an¬ 
swered the old man. Fie insisted again that 
she take it. 

“You received it,” she said, shaking her 
head, but keeping her eyes on the shining 
golden roll, “and you should have the pleas¬ 
ure of delivering it.” 

Shadow argued. He explained that dust¬ 
ing was a pleasure to him, and that she 
could run faster than he could. So, finally, 
she took the golden message and hurried 
away to the JMoon Mother. When she had 
gone. Shadow set about dusting vigorously. 

While he was awkv/ardly reaching for a 
speck of dust that had-fallen on a high corner 
of the great chair, the Giant put his black 


92 The Angel Messenger Brings 

head through the doorway. “What in the 
many worlds is wrong?” he cried loudly. 
“First I hear you scampering through the 
halls as if a mad Meteor were after you, and 
when I catch up with you, you are calmly 
dusting the Moon Mother’s throne!” 

“I was delivering a message, sir,” was 
Shadow’s tart answer. 

“What kind of a message?” asked the 
Giant. 

“From an Angel Messenger,” returned 
Shadow, shortly. 

“You don’t say that you received a mes¬ 
sage from an Angel?” the Giant asked. 
Shadow nodded that he had, and the big 
fellow roared with laughter. “Ho, ho, ho! 
The picture of Shadow and an Angel! 
That is too much!” 

Shadow didn’t take the Giant’s teasing 
as quietly as in former days. “Oh, I don’t 
know that it is, sir,” he replied from his 
position on the top step of the throne. “I’ve 
been in communication with them folks sev¬ 
eral times, sir. I’ve found that if you try 
•real hard you can look down and see the 
Earth beings; and if you try a little harder 
and look up you can see the Angels.” 


93 


About Rapid Preparations 

“You better look out for your head works. 
They’re beginning to run very strangely,” 
returned the Giant. “Well, and what did 
your Angel friend say in his message?” 

“I do not know, sir,” was the dignified 
answer. “It was not for me to read.” 

“I know but—servants always read-” 

the Giant began and stopped. “Well, well! 
So you’ve actually reformed and are taking 
a chance at the prize, too.” He laughed 
boisterously. “With your past. Shadow, 
I’m afraid it will take a long time, a very 
long time.” 

I had forgotten about the Stranger and 
the scroll in my amusement over this argu¬ 
ment. Just as I thought of the message the 
JMoon Mother walked into the Throne 
Room, talking hurriedly and adding to the 
excitement of the occasion. 

“If I had only known sooner!” she was 
repeating. 

“May I inquire what?” asked the Giant. 

“It has been so long since one has paid 
me a visit,” was her next puzzling remark. 

“What? Whom? May I ask what it is 
that I am getting excited over?” the Giant 
cried. 




94 The Angel Messenger Brings 

The INIoon Mother took time to explain 
with this startling announcement, “On the 
golden scroll, written in the Great Father’s 
hand are the words, ‘Prepare ye for the 
Servant of the Lord!” 

“The Servant of the Lord!” repeated 
Shadow and the Giant in awe and surprise. 

“Think of it! An Angel is to visit me!” 
The ]\Ioon Mother was talking out loud, 
though mostly to herself. “I wonder why. 
It’s been so long since I was complimented 
on my work. JMaybe that’s it. Or probably 
it’s some great invitation for me. Oh, it 
fairly takes my thought away!” 

Evidently the sight of her little nurse 
maid brought her thoughts back immedi¬ 
ately; for upon seeing her she began to plan 
for the reception. 

“We have no time to lose,” she cried. 
“Hurry and dust the room and get the chil¬ 
dren ready.” 

“Pardon me. Madam ]Moon Mother,” 
Shadow put in, “she can hardly do both. 
I will dust the room.” 

The excited Moon Mother didn’t care who 
did the work so long as it was done; but 
even in her hurry she paused a brief moment 


95 


About Rapid Preparations 

to comment on the change that had come 
over Shadow. 

All was in commotion. The Moon Mother 
hastened to make herself ready; the Stranger 
worked rapidly with the ill-behaved Stars; 
and Shadow, dusting away energetically, 
was drawn again into debate with the Giant. 

From my perch on a large diamond near 
the ceiling I could hear what went on in 
both the nursery and the Throne Room. 

“From the Great Father,” mumbled the 
Giant, stroking his black beard. “I have 
my suspicions of what that means,—my very 
good suspicions.” 

“And what are your suspicions, sir?” 
asked Shadow, who was not without 
curiosity. 

“Someone has done enough good and is 
going to be rewarded with his prize,” was 
the reply. “And I have another idea who 
that lucky one will be.” 

“JNIay I be bold to inquire whom, sir?” 

“Myself,” announced the Giant, solemnly. 

“Begging your very great pardon, sir,” 
said Shadow, feeling that he should keep 
his thoughts unsaid, but unable to do so, “I 
don’t believe in your prize idea, sir.” 



96 The Angel Messenger Brings 

The Giant’s eyes snapped fire. “What 
do you know about it?” he roared furiously. 
“What do you know about the patience I 
have had to use with these unruly Star chil¬ 
dren? You are an uneducated servant! I 
am a scholar. I’ve studied and analyzed the 
question.” 

“Oh, I haven’t the reputation for knowing 
things that you have, sir,” was Shadow’s 
calm and unboastful reply. “I haven’t taken 
much to studies. But I’ve been different 
lately, sir, and I’ve had feelings inside me 
which told me,-” 

“Fiddle-faddle!” broke in the Giant sar¬ 
castically. “You’re ill and don’t know it.” 

So the battle of words raged. The Giant 
grew angry. Shadow grew stubborn, and the 
conflict ended with the Giant walking out 
of the room, disgusted with the old man, 
whom he now hated almost as much as an 
enemy. 

Meantime the Stranger had been having 
her difficulties in the nursery. 

“It’s not time yet,” I heard a voice cry, a 
voice I knew belonged to a small, freckled 
Star. “I won’t get dressed now!” 



97 


About Rapid Preparations 

“But your mother wants you to,” urged 
the maid. 

“I don’t care if she does,” was the defiant 
answer. 

“Yes, you do,” came the Stranger’s voice. 
“You want to see the beautiful Angel and 
you want to look as nice as you can when he 
comes. Just think of it! One of the Great 
Father’s Angels! And he will be all in 
white, with a beautiful, shining face!” 

“The Angel won’t look at you,” said the 
Stubborn Star. 

“But I can see him,” replied the Stranger. 

“I don’t believe mother will let you,” was 
the next ungrateful speech. 

The Stranger was silent a moment. Then 
I heard her reply slowly, “Well,—well all 
the rest of you can see him though.” 

Such things as these are what went on 
during the preparation for the Great Visitor. 
But finally everything was in readiness and 
the hub-bub subsided. The brilliant pro¬ 
cession of beautifully dressed Stars made 
its way to the Throne Room, led by the Moon 
Mother in her robes of silver. After the 
last Star walked the little Stranger, who 
was quite a contrast in her dingy, grey dress. 


98 The Angel Messenger Bmigs 

“Shadow/’ called the Mother as she en¬ 
tered, “I shall want you to stand near the 
throne. Brush yourself first, please. And 
please conduct yourself with as much dignity 
as is possible for you.” 

The old servant bowed and promised to 
do as he was told; the Moon Mother took 
her place on the throne; the children, with a 
great deal of whispering and bumping 
around, grouped themselves on either side. 
The Moon INIother, in giving a last glance 
to make sure that all were in their places, 
saw the dusty little Stranger Star standing 
just inside the door, quite mindless of her 
own looks, in the thought that she had gotten 
the children ready on time. Under such 
unusual circumstances the Moon Mother 
was unusually kind. 

“You shall be given a very great liberty,” 
she called. “You may stand at the door.” 

Even from my high perch I could see the 
happiness grow in the Stranger’s eyes. 
When she had thanked the JNIoon Mother, 
she was warned to keep out of sight so that 
she might see but not be seen; for she was 
not a proper sight for the Great Visitor. 

This was the last of the preparations. All 


99 


About Rapid Preparatioiis 

was in order. The room grew quiet, and 
the Moon INIother rose majestically and 
spoke in her kindest tones to the Stars. 

“JNIy wonderful Star children,” she said, 
“only once in many ages is our Palace hon¬ 
ored by a visit from a Servant of our Great 
Father. Keep your thoughts on the Great 
Father. Be obedient, use your best manners 
and your kindliest ways. The eyes of the 
Angels are keen-seeing and the impression 
you make must be without fault. Then the 
wonderful surprise which undoubtedly is in 
store for us will be given more freely and 
generously.” 

At the mention of a surprise the Stars 
could keep quiet no longer. 

“I hope he brings us presents,” whispered 
the JNIorning Star. 

“I believe that is what it will be,” the Dog 
Star whispered ‘back. 

“A visit would suit me,” suggested the 
Evening Star. “It’s been a long time since 
we went on one.” 

“Yes, a vacation would be just right,” 
agreed the Steadfast Star, clapping her 
hands softly. “We haven’t been on one since 


100 The Angel Messenger Brings 

the Great Father ordered his flood and we 
didn’t have to shine for forty nights.” 

“I had to shine,” pouted the Dipper. “I 
was busy watering Clouds all the time until 
I was so weak I could hardly pour! I de¬ 
serve a vacation if anyone does.” 

The whispering grew louder and the chil¬ 
dren became more excited, despite the im¬ 
patient reproofs from their mother. When 
expectation and excitement were highest, 
the Giant Gravitation strode solemnly into 
the room and announced, “He is come!” 

There was a scurrying back into place; a 
quick arrangement of dresses. 

“Children! Bear in mind all I have 
taught you,” was the mother’s last word. 
“Remember, everyone kneeling when he 
appears.” 

A hush fell over the Star children. In 
deep silence and with fast beating hearts 
they awaited the entrance of the Great 
Visitor. 

“And I,” said Mister Owl, closing when 
he discovered how late it had grown, “I 
imagine that my heart beat as fast as any 
in the room.” 


t! 


I 1 ( 
r ^ 


CHAPTER X 


WHY NO ONE AMONG ALL THE STAR CHILDREN 
WAS FOUND WORTHY OF THE 
GREAT HONOR 

HERE was no time the next 
evening for a chat or a gos¬ 
sip, because both Mister Owl 
and the children were anxious 
to go on with the portentous 
visit of the Angel to the Moon Palace. As 
if there had been no break in the story at all, 
Mister Owl began talking: 

As I sat down with fast beating heart 
there came to my ears soft strains of far off 
music. Where it came from I did not know. 
I only knew that it was different and very 
beautiful; and that it was louder and softer 
both at once. It floated into the great room 
and filled it; then it seemed to become a 
part of the room, as if the very stones and 
jewels were singing. 

The Star children began to kneel down 

without being reminded to do so. The heavy 

101 



















102 Why No One Among the Star 

door-curtains parted and the Angel, tall and 
beautiful, stood in their presence. His eyes 
saw them as they knelt and he bowed to them 
respectfully. When this was done he walked 
quietly to the foot of the throne where, by 
lifting up his hands, he bade the Moon 
]\Iother and her children arise. 

Then I heard his voice. It was clear and 
ringing,—oh, I haven’t the words to tell of 
it. It was more wonderful than the voice 
of my wonderful brother of the night. Sir 
Nightingale. Always the voice seemed like 
a part of the music; as if the music itself 
formed into words. I don’t remember his 
first words at all; I was too overcome. But 
I know that when he had bowed and spoken 
to the Moon Mother he went up three of the 
white steps and turning to the Stars told 
them his amazing reason for coming to them. 
You will see as I try to recite his words how 
they could fit into music. But ah! for just 
one note of his voice. 

He began: 

“From the Father’s shining home. 

Through the Lands of Changing Blue, 
Down the Golden Stairs I’ve come 

To bring His word to you. 



Children was Found Worthy 103 

Since the ancient, blessed day 

When ]\Ian was to the Earth-world given 
No such glowing, radiant joy 

Has bound the throne of Heaven. 

For from the fulness of His Love, 

The Father, ere this night is done 
Shall give to Earth from Heaven above 
His dear, immortal Son.’’ 

A solemn spell had fallen over the room. 
The divine gift so long hoped for was to be, 
given! The Star children were overcome 
with awe. When the Angel reached the 
words about the Son, their silence gave way 
to an exclamation, a whispered question, 
“The Christ?” 

The Angel answered, 

“The blessed Christ! The Prince of Peace! 

And while the heavenly choirs proclaim. 
With singing that shall never cease. 

Praise to His holy name. 

Oh, Mother, by our Father’s grace. 

Thy fairest child shall light the skies 
In trembling brilliance o’er the place 
Where the baby Jesus lies.” 


104 Why No One Among the Star 

Awe was now mingled with pride. Some 
Star was to be given the honor of announc¬ 
ing to the Earth, with his starbeams, the 
birthplace of the infant Savior! Never be¬ 
fore had such an honor been offered them. 
Never before had the Stars been so quiet. 
When at last the Moon Mother spoke, it 
was to plead that she had no expression of 
gratitude for such an honor. As she thought 
about the honor she grew troubled over the 
difficulty of deciding which of her lovely 
Stars should be chosen. The Angel in re¬ 
plying told her the choice would be made, 

“The Star that shineth forth with perfect 
light 

Shall announce the Christ-child on this holy 
night.” 

I shall never know just what the inmost 
feelings of the Stars were when they were 
given the opportunity to offer themselves. 
I suppose all of them believed their lights 
to be perfect, and I know that the Angel’s 
presence made them both proud and fearful. 
The Angel had to speak to them again, and 
very kindly and naturally this time. Then 


Children was Found Worthy 105 

the Evening Star, who was near the throne, 
walked with some hesitancy to the steps and 
knelt beneath the Angel. 

“Servant of our Great Father,” she said, 
“I offer my light.” 

The Moon Mother was well pleased with 
the polite manner and well chosen words of 
her Star. “My child of Beauty,” she said 
to the Angel, “thou need not search farther.” 

The Angel turned to the Star question- 
ingly, 

“Arise, fair child. What is this light of thine 
Which thou deem’st perfect to announce the 
Christ?” 

In her very best way of reciting the Eve¬ 
ning Star replied; “The light of Beauty. In 
the colors of soft-slippered Twilight,—fad¬ 
ing gold and crimson blush from the kiss of 
the departing Sun; in the many tinted hues 
of eventide; in wondrous colors blending 
with fall of night into a perfect silver,—I 
appear and shine. As Beauty announces the 
coming of the hallowed night, so should not 
Beauty announce the coming of the Holy 
Christ?” 




106 Why No One Among the Star 

“As Christ is beautiful, so must His herald 
be,” 

assured the Angel. 

The Evening Star was now quite confi¬ 
dent that the honor was hers; she and her 
mother exchanged contented glances. I was 
beginning to grow nervous lest the Angel, 
not knowing her as I did, accept her services. 
But he had several more questions to ask 
her. The first was, 

“Wherein, sayest thou, dost thy Beauty lie?” 

The Evening Star replied, “Why, it is in 
the colors of my wondrous dress.” 

Then the Angel asked her if she had done 
anything to make her dress beautiful; and 
if a Beauty of heart had made the Beauty 
of her gown. What a blow these questions 
were! The Evening Star could give no 
answer to them at all. After a painful 
silence, during which the Star looked down 
uneasily at the toes of her shoes, the Angel 
turned away from her saying: 

“The Beauty that bears witness to His birth 
]Must be the holy Beauty of the Soul. 

All other Beauty is but counterfeit.” 


Children was Found Worthy 107 

It was easy to see the Star’s discomfort 
and helplessness. Unable to defend herself 
she turned to her mother. The mother, feel¬ 
ing that her child had been treated unjustly, 
appealed to the Angel. But the Angel was 
firm and left no doubts when he said: 

“Her Beauty shines too dim; ’twill have to be 
Service-grown Beauty which is brought to 
me.” 


Sadly and with dragging steps the Eve¬ 
ning Star returned to her place and hid her 
face in her hands. Her failure gave the other 
Stars a great fear. But the Dipper, who 
had taken in what the Angel had said about 
service, felt itself to be the desired one and 
stepped forward and knelt. 

“I give the never-emptying-pool within 
my cup,” it explained with pride, “in never- 
ending service to the Clouds. I quench their 
thirst and give them life that they may do 
their work. Surely it is I who should an¬ 
nounce the Christ.” 

The Dipper had made a good impression 
as the next words of the Angel told me: 


108 Why No One Among the Star 

“Thou seem’st to offer me the Perfect Light. 
As Christ shall give his life in loving service 
So must His herald. Tell me, is thy service 
Always given with willingness and free¬ 
dom?” 

“Yes,” quickly answered the Handle. 

“Well-” admitted the Bowl with 

less certainty and more truth. 

“There is some doubt and hesitation,” 

said the Angel, adding after a moment of 
thought, 

“I now recall, not long ago the Father 
Commissioned to a dry and heat-parched 
world 

A Cloud. The task was hard and for his 
work 

He went in work-worn clothes. As he de¬ 
scended 

The Father, looking from the golden portal. 
Saw in surprise His Cloud refused a drink. 
Later the Cloud sailed on well-filled and 
happy. 

But ere the Father could inquire where 
He had been filled, he’d given all and died. 
Why was the Father’s Cloud refused a 
drink?” 



Children was Found Worthy 109 

My memory began to call up the events 
of another night! 

“He frightened us,” said the quick-spoken 
Handle; ‘‘we gave it to him later.” 

“No,” contradicted the more honest Bowl, 
“we were tired and went home to rest.” 

“Those who grow tired give not their serv¬ 
ice freely.” 

This rebuking speech from the Angel 
sealed the fate of the Dipper. Although 
the mother pled that it had failed only once 
in willingness, the Angel dismissed it with 
these words, 

“The Service that gives perfect light must be 
A Service never ceasing, always free.” 

The Dipper took its place by the down¬ 
cast Evening Star. As it went back, the 
Handle gave the Bowl an angry look with 
all its six eyes. 

Things were not turning out so lovely as 
the Stars had thought for. During a period 
of uncomfortable silence the Giant remarked 
to himself, “I can’t understand that. The 
Dipper should have the reward according to 
my theory.” 


110 Why No One Among the Star 

The pause was at last broken by the Stead¬ 
fast Star. Getting together all her bold¬ 
ness she walked to the throne. Just as the 
others had done she stated her reasons for 
wanting the honor. She told how night 
after night, age after age, she had shone with 
her never-darkening light, until through all 
the worlds she was known as the Steadfast 
Star. Just as before, the Angel grew hope¬ 
ful; but in his very hopefulness the Star was 
caught in a trap. When she was telling 
about her steadfast watchfulness, he asked 
her who it was that gave the thirsty Cloud a 
drink. Of course, she dared not answer. 
She blushed and stammered and had to con¬ 
fess that she had rested a short while and 
did not know. Just as before the Moon 
Mother came to her Star’s assistance, mak¬ 
ing little of a failure which covered only a 
moment. But the Angel answered sternly; 

“A moment that may ever be unknown 
Because she shirked. Is this a proof she’d 
keep 

A constant watch as herald to the Christ?” 

So, just like those who had tried before 
her, the shirking Steadfast Star found not 


Childi'en was Found Worthy 111 

a place of honor, but one of dishonor. After 
her failure the Brilliant Star tried and 
failed; for the Angel soon discovered the 
selfishness beneath her brilliancy. Then fol¬ 
lowed other Stars, who, one by one, were 
refused. 

All this time the Giant was growing more 
puzzled. Tie felt that surely some Star 
had done enough good to outweigh his bad. 
When twelve Stars had been refused and 
the Angel stood waiting for another, he 
could keep silent no longer. 

“As a Natural Law and one of our 
Father’s workmen,” he spoke up, address¬ 
ing the Angel, “I feel that I have a right to 
a question. When our good services out¬ 
weigh our bad, then, if I reason rightly, we 
should get a prize. Else why. Oh Great 
Angel, should we be good?” 

The Angel faced the new speaker with 
another question: 

“Wouldst thou make good a means to thy 
reward 

And give it second place ? Is that thy code ?” 

The Giant got out of a direct answer by 
starting to argue; but he did admit that do- 


112 Why No One Among the Star 

ing good for a reward seemed to him quite 
sensible. 

The Angel listened to his argument and 
then spoke quietly, 

“One may spend all his life in irksome toil, 
Yet if ’tis not for Love no prize is given; 
But he who finds a joy in all his tasks 
Receives a prize each moment of his life.” 

“That sounds like Shadow’s doctrine,” 
said the Giant in surprise. 

“Aye, it is, sir,” smiled the elated old 
servant in his kindliest manner. 

The Giant stood for several moments 
turning over in his mind his new discovery 
which sent his old theory all to smash. He 
then retired to a corner, where with head 
down he muttered over and over, “All my 
store of good will bring me nothing!” 

The Angel’s hopes began to wane. Night 
was coming on. His time was almost spent. 
Holding out his hands he asked earnestly: 

“Is there no one who doth shine 
With the light of Love divine?” 

There was a stir among the Stars and 
who should push his way forward and kneel 
before the Angel but the Dog Star! 


Children was Found Worthy 113 

“Great Angel,” he began, “I haven’t 
much beauty or steadfastness and I can’t 
brag of a record of service. I’m in no way 
a wonder. But I’ve grown sick of grum¬ 
bling and growling. I’d like to shine with 
the kind of light you want.” 

Joy glowed in the Angel’s face as he 
asked: 

“Thou comest to me admitting all thy faults, 
Humbhng thy pride, longing to be of 
service! 

Is this the Christ-like spirit I have found? 
Thy light begins to shine! Come tell me 
more!” 

“I’ve grown sick of the other Stars and 
their mean ways,” continued the Dog Star. 

“Don’t mar this spirit! Don’t put out thy 
light!” 

begged the Angel quickly. 

But the reckless Dog Star, thinking the 
time had come for him to tell on his unjust 
brothers and sisters, was heedless. “And I 
can tell you why they weren’t out shining 
that night when the Cloud passed,” he went 
on more loudly. “They were angry at nurse 


114 Why No One Among the Star 

and wanted to do something mean to her. 
I’m glad you never picked any of them to 
shine.” 

The Dog Star felt that he was doing quite 
right. His speech brought a little gasp of 
horror from the Stars, and the Moon Mother 
reached out an arm in protest. Before the 
Star had time to say any more the Angel 
spoke; but all joy was gone from his face 
and all hope from his voice as he said: 

“At first I thought ’twas Love that brought 
this change 

In thee; thou’st shown me it is but revenge. 
Thou, growing sick of bad, would’st change 
to good 

So thou may’st say, T’m better than thou 
art!’ ” 

This was a great surprise to the Dog Star. 
But what could he say? When he thought 
it over he had to admit it was true. When 
the Angel declared that such a light could 
never bear witness to Christ’s coming, he 
hung his head and trotted back to a place 
among the disappointed Stars. 

The Angel waited for several minutes. 
Not a Star moved forward. Maybe they 


Children was Found Worthy 115 

were beginning to look within themselves 
and see the kind of lights with which they 
had been shining. Whatever the reason, no 
one was brave enough to seek the honor. 
Realizing this the Angel turned to the Moon 
Mother, saying: 

“Oh, Mother of the Moon, I find no light 
Perfect enough to undertake this mission.” 

Being like human mothers, the Moon 
Mother, though she had often found enough 
to complain of in the children herself, did 
not want anyone else to call them imperfect, 
not even an Angel. “Never before have my 
children been so criticized,” her voice rose 
in hurt pride. “I am proud of them and 
know that they are good children. To me 
their lights are bright enough. I cannot 

understand, I just cannot understand-” 

Her unhappy speech was broken into by 
the calm, clear words of the Great Servant: 

“Couldst thou behold the Light for which 
I seek,— 

The Light of Love,—then wouldst thou un¬ 
derstand. 

Truth can the only herald be of Truth; 
And Love the only messenger of Love.” 





116 Why No One Among the Star 

Still the Moon Mother was unwilling to 
give up hope for her children. She pled that 
the gifts they offered were good gifts and 
that no one could be altogether perfect. The 
Angel shook his head and answered: 

“But with the love of Truth and truth of 
Love 

Within the heart, Beauty and shining Glory 
And Constancy and ever-willing Service 
Dwell naturally as one, inseparable; 

And are the Spirit’s light.” 

Seeing that the Stars had failed, that she 
had been using all her words in vain, the 
mother turned humbly away. With a last 
hope the Angel turned to the Star children. 
Once more he held out the honor. Was there 
not one who gave forth his light from love? 
he asked. No one responded. Sadly his 
outstretched hands fell to his sides; sadly he 
turned to the mother, saying: 

“There is no answer. I must say farewell, 
And heavy with a disappointed heart 
Return to the Great Father empty handed. 
’Twill be the first unhappiness to mar 
The joy of Jesus’ holy birth. Farewell.” 


Children was Found Worthy 117 

The music had ceased. With sad counten¬ 
ance and stooping form the disappointed 
Angel descended the steps and moved slowly 
towards the door. 

“My feelings were divided; I was content 
with the justice which had at last come to the 
Stars, but I was also sad over the complete 
failure of the Angel’s mission. My feelings 
were not to be divided in this way for long, 
however, as you will see when I tell you of 
the wonderful thing which happened. But 
that must wait until tomorrow night.” 


CHAPTER XI 


now the gray little stranger star 

BECOMES THE BEAUTIFUL STAR OF LOVE 

ISTER OWL was on his 
branch before the children 
appeared on the following 
evening. But soon they came 
running along the path 
laughing and chattering, Emily pushing 
down her sleeves and Paul mopping his face 
with his handkerchief. They hurriedly ex¬ 
plained that washing the dishes and taking 
the milk had made them late. 

“You were busy living your own story,” 
remarked Mister Owl wisely. Then observ¬ 
ing cheerfully, “If we but knew it, stories 
we live are always better than stories we 
hear,” he got back to the subject of the 
Angel at the Moon Palace: 

Let’s see. I had reached the point where 

the Angel had left the throne and had sadly 

118 















Star Became the Star of Love 119 

started back to the Great Father. Too 
crestfallen to look up, the Moon Mother 
didn’t notice the conduct of her Stars as the 
Angel passed by. Shame over having been 
refused the honor made them sulky and they 
forgot about owing the Angel any respect. 
They didn’t kneel and they whispered so 
rudely that I couldn’t keep from blushing 
for them. The Angel, too, noticed their bad 
conduct and lowered his head. In doing so, 
his eyes fell upon a bit of gray dress and 
two small knees on the polished floor. Half- 
hidden behind the curtains the little Stranger 
Star, alone of all those in the room, was 
kneeling. The Angel halted upon flnding 
her. The Stranger, pushing aside the cur¬ 
tains, looked up into his face. 

The Moon Mother, though she was un¬ 
able to see her own Stars’ misbehavior, was 
quick to notice what she felt was something 
highly improper in the Stranger. 

‘T asked you to remain out of sight,” she 
reproved. “You are in the way.” 

The little Star seemed to shrivel up and 
shrink back among the curtains. Without 
so much as a glance at the INIoon Mother, 
the Angel spoke to the Stranger, and his 


120 How the Little Stranger 

voice was very familiar-like, as though he 
were speaking to a long known friend. 

“Thou are not in the way, little one,” he 
said, kindly. “Come to me. Tell me why 
thou art kneeling.” 

He stooped down before her. She came 
up to him quite close; there was not the fear 
in her which the other Stars had had when 
they approached him. 

“Because I am in the presence of the 
Father’s Angel,” was her simple reply. 

“Thou art not so forgetful as thy broth¬ 
ers and sisters,” said the Angel. 

You might know that the Stars were lis¬ 
tening. “She’s not our sister,” they cried 
loudly as though they had been insulted. 

The Moon Mother, with apologies, ex¬ 
plained that the child was one of the serv¬ 
ants, the nurse maid of the Stars. 

“So thou who dost not forget the Father’s 
Angel art but a nurse maid. What work 
dost thou do?” questioned the Angel. 

“Oh, I wash and dust and make beds and 
sew the children’s clothes,” was her answer. 

“Didst thou make the lovely dress which 
is the pride of the Evening Star?” the cour¬ 
teous questioner went on. 


Star Became the Star of Love 121 

“Yes,” she nodded, adding a word of re¬ 
gret, “but I never got to finish it.” 

“Why dost thou not wear it?” was the 
next question. 

Her eyes widened in astonishment. “Me? 
—Oh, I don’t shine.” 

“When thou art out of doors in the great 
blue night dost thou not want to shine?” 

A happy light flashed into her eyes as she 
thought of other happy days of long ago; 
then another happy light took its place as 
she thought of other days closer at hand. “I 
used to shine,” she said, “but I have found 
lots of things to do without shining. And 
now I don’t go outside.” 

The Moon Mother felt it time for her to 
explain. If these things had to be told, she 
felt that she was the proper person to tell 
them and not the little Stranger. So she 
began telling the story, saying that the 
nurse had been very disobedient and was 
being punished by working in the house. 

Not waiting for more of the Moon 
Mother’s story, the Angel turned again to 
the Stranger. “What didst thou do which 
was wrong?” he asked. 

“Well,” she replied reluctantly but hon- 


122 How the Little Stranger 

estly, “I—I changed some moonbeams and 
—and I got some water for a thirsty 
Cloud-’’ 

“ ’Twas thou who helped the thirsty 
Cloud?” exclaimed the Angel. 

I had forgotten Shadow’s very existence; 
so had everyone else. But now his voice 
burst forth in loud and eager defense of 
his friend. “She did, sir,” he cried. “I 
must speak, sir. She kept me from running 
away to the Sun and made me acquainted 
with the happiness that is all about me. She 
—she ” 

Shadow was just getting a good start 
when he took a false step, so to speak, of 
glancing at the Moon Mother. The look 
she gave him took all thought of further 
words right out of his mind. He humbly 
begged pardon of the Angel for his unin¬ 
vited speech, and got out of sight behind 
a pillar. 

The pardon was graciously granted by 
the Angel, who next asked the Stranger, 
“And for this thou art being punished?” 

“Yes,” she nodded. 

“Dost thou still love the Moon Mother 
and her children?” 







Star Became the Star of Love 123 

“Why, yes,” she answered, quite amazed 
at such a question. 

“And art thou happy?” 

“Oh, I am as happy as I can be,” she 
smiled. 

A new look came into the Angel’s face; 
the kind of look that makes you want to close 
your eyes and keep on looking both at once. 
I have never seen such a beautiful look be¬ 
fore or since. He arose to his full height 
and stood above the little figure. In a voice 
tender and strong he said in a manner that 
made all listen to him, 

“Little Star of Loneliness 
In thy blackened servant dress. 

Toiling at thy duties humble. 

Working on without a grumble, 

Taking unjust punishment. 

Loving those by whom ’tis sent. 

Being kind though they abuse thee. 

Always finding good to please thee,— 

Thou hast filled thy spirit from Above 
And from it shines the Light of Perfect 
Love.” 

What a shock this was! What a turmoil 
followed! “It can’t be! She’s a servant! 
She doesn’t know how to shine! We are 


124 How the Little Stranger 

better than she is!” cried the Stars, some in 
tears and some in anger. Tears stood in 
the JNIoon Mother’s eyes, too; but tears of 
a different kind, for her tears meant she 
had caught a glimpse of the truth. 

“Children,” she said, and all her false 
pride was gone, “I fear our pride and 
selfishness have blinded us so that we could 
not see. Look. . . . !” 

Suddenly a splendid, dazzling light filled 
the room. It came from the wonderful 
dress v/hich the little Stranger Star wore. 
I was so surprised that I lost my balance 
and made a great noise fluttering myself 
back into place; but the noise wasn’t noticed 
because of the wonder that held everyone. 
The pure, white light was more brilliant 
and beautiful than the light of any other 
Star. And when I caught sight of her face! 
Why—I rebuked myself that I had not be¬ 
fore noticed its strong resemblance to the 
Angel’s. Then the most wonderful thing 
of all happened; without a word from the 
JNIoon Mother, each ungrateful, selfish Star 
knelt before the Stranger Star with bowed 
head. 

“Father, forgive me,” was the soft prayer 



Star Became the Star of Love 125 

of the Moon Mother as she lowered her head 
reverently. 

And oh, as if he had never really spoken 
before, the very heart of the Angel seemed 
to speak now, 

“Love is oft an unseen thing 
Though ’tis with thee and doth bring 

Perfect joy which selfish pride concealeth; 
Till at length thine eye sees clear. 

Then there’s naught to thee more dear 

Than the wondrous light which Love 
revealeth.” 

“I bow in shame for my proud words,” 
spoke the Moon Mother, “for now I see the 
wondrous Light of Love.” 

During these moments the Stranger was 
so surprised and happy that she could not 
utter a word. As the Angel smiled upon 
her, she tried to speak her feeling. “Oh, 
beautiful Angel,—these lovely clothes,— 
your kind words about me,—oh, I don’t 
know what to say or do. I try to thank 
thee-” 

The Angel interrupted her. 




126 


How the Little Stranger 

“Do not try; thou’st said and done 
Enough to please me, little one. 

With a radiance divine 

Shall thy Light of Love now shine; 

And thy brilliant starbeams fall 
O’er the Hope of Israel.” 

“But these other Stars?” asked the little 
Star, still thinking of others besides herself. 
“They meant well. They didn’t know, is 
all. Can’t they shine?” 

The Angel replied, 

“Thou hast proven, little one, 

I can trust thy light alone; 

Yet from azure deeps afar 
Shall burn the light of every Star, 

Quietly, with pale-bright ray. 

While thou shinest bright as day.” 

The music, which could be heard again, 
burst into a melody of great joy and 
triumj)h. The Angel heard it, and the same 
joy was in his voice when he said: 

“Hark! Oh, Star, thy love doth reach 
The Father’s throne before my speech 
Can tell it; and the joy on high 
Is echoed by the list’ning sky 
Which ringeth out in harmony 
With the Heavenly jubilee. 

Night doth appear. Come, follow me.” 


Star Became the Star of Love 127 

The form of the Angel seemed to fade 
from the room. The Giant came at once to 
the little Star to do his part in holding her 
aloft, while she performed her wonderful 
work. As he passed Shadow, he looked 
down at the old man, all snobbishness and 
anger gone from his face. In fact, he stuck 
out a huge hand, and a number of long, 
black fingers encircled the old servant’s 
shrunken hand in a friendly clasp. Then he 
stooped and took in his arms the little 
Stranger, now the beautiful Star of Love. 

The music now sounded very like a strain 
I had heard before. The Star of Love be¬ 
gan to sing the song which she had sung that 
night on the edge of the Moon. The music 
was the same! 

High in the arms of the proud Giant, the 
Star was borne away to announce the birth 
of Christ to a waiting World. Long after 
her bright light had passed from the room 
there floated back the music of her song, 

“Oh, spirit of Jesus that never will die. 

Oh, wonders and beauties that fill the wide 
sky, 

I am as happy as happy can be. 

For I love you all and I know you love me.” 


128 How the Little Stranger 

And this is the end of the story; the story 
of the Star in the East which you know so 
well; the story of the gray little Stranger 
who became the Star of Love. 

Mister Owl had finished. Paul and Emily 
were very quiet and thoughtful for several 
minutes. Then Emily said in a whisper, 
‘‘What a beautiful, wonderful honor the 
Stranger Star received!” 

“The same honor,” replied Mister Owl 
knowingly, “which those who find a joy in 
their tasks always receive: bigger and bet¬ 
ter tasks.” 

Emily thought carefully. 

“But is it a true story? Could it really 
truly happen?” asked Paul. 

^'Then is very like now/^ returned Mister 
Owl. “Once in a whole I meet children who 
are selfish and proud; and who begin doing 
good things because they want a reward; 
but who finally become ever so happy and 
useful helping their mothers with the dishes, 
and taking the milk, and watering the 
garden.” 

The children’s faces lighted up and grew 
rosy. 


Star Became the Star of Love 129 

“Oh,—I know—you mean-” began 

Paul. 

They squirmed a bit and then laughed 
outright. 

“Exactly,” nodded Mister Owl wisely. 

Without another word he flew from his 
branch. For just a moment Paul and 
Emily felt a feathery arm about each 
shoulder. Then before they could catch 
their breath. Mister Owl had flown away 
and was seen no more. 



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